HONG KONG by RSC SoftWare c91-92-93

Hong Kong is a China Sea Trading program with animation and high resolution
graphics created within the QBasic 4.5 enviornment and using the RAY graphic
technique. Graphics created by EGRAPH 9.2rc by RSC.

This program is FREEWARE and may be copied, given away, passed on free of charge on any media.
It can not be sold to anyone except for reasonable fees and costs for media.
This document must be included.
_____________________________________________________________________________________
NOTICE:
RSC SoftWare is looking for a few individuals to play, test and critique
RSC SoftWare.
Individuals selected will be required to provide RSC with a written review
within Thirty days from the date software is received.
In payment for this service, RSC will give the reviewer the final product
before production.
If you are interested, please leave a message for LPOLECAT on America On-Line.
Please leave your name, Address and phone number.
Also leave a comment about yourself, computer experience, program interests
and so-forth.
We are looking for beginners and experienced operators.
If you are chosen, LPOLECAT will leave a message for you on America On-Line.
At least one software program that is awaiting review will be mailed to you
immediately.

____________________________________________________________________________________

THE GAME:

There is so much involved in HONG KONG that we have not completely run into
everything that can happen while playing this game.
Therefor, if you should find a bug, or something that does not work quite
right, please leave RSC a message on America On-Line.
Later we will download a corrected version if necessary.

The object of Hong Kong is to make enough money to pay all your debts.
The game is non-ending unless you should get killed by angered Pirates or
your brother forecloses.

At the start of the game you are loaned 100,000,000 Yen to begin your
business adventure. You kind brother Omi Stingey finances you by buying you
a ship, a lowly Captain and a lowly crew.
Out of the million yen that he loans you at the start, you will have
50,000 yen in cash. You use this money to buy cargo etc to begin your
profitable, or unprofitable career in the China Sea.
_____________________________________________________________________________________

SETUP:
Put all the files into one directory.
You must have a mouse to use this program. A hard drive is recommended for
graphics but is not required.
Type HONGKONG to execute the program.
_____________________________________________________________________________________

The animated title screen will appear first. Push any key to exit.
The credits come up. Push any key.
The next screen is the main screen. It will remain throughout the game.
Look it over good so that you are familier enough with it to follow this
documentation.

The list of Cargos that you can buy and sell are on the right.
The colored boxes next to each item is the selection box for that item.

It is important to understand the BUY and SELL prices.
These are not your prices, but the PORT prices.
In other words, if the BUYING price for SILK is 125 yen, that is what the
PORT will pay you for SILK.
If the SELLING price is 200 yen, that is the price you will have to pay.

All cargo except OPIUM is sold by the TON. OPIUM is sold by the Kilogram.
Take note that WEAPONS are in Yellow and OPIUM is in RED.

WEAPONS as cargo are not legal in all ports. Some ports will consficate them
if they are discovered during a Customs Inspection. See CUSTOMS.

OPIUM is illegal in any port and you are subject to jail, fine or both if your
caught carrying it. See Customs.

PRICES:
Prices vary with the Port your in. They change everytime you arrive, but they
will always lean to their favorite item.
Prices will not change if you run out to sea and return just to change the
prices.

SILK Can be highly profitable but is subject to Water damage during a
heavy storm.
HARDWARE: A steady profit maker. Not affected much by water damage.
PERISHABLES: A good profit maker buy highly subject to Water damage.
You also lose some cargo just
because its perishable. You will lose Ten Ton for every
trip you make with it.
TOBACCO: A good profit maker. Subject to water damage. Increases
slightly the chance of running into PIRATES.
SAKI WINE: A good profit maker. Subject to breakage during storms.
Your crew will not sail out of the harbor without some SAKI
aboard.
CLOTHING: Average profit. Subject to water damage. PIRATES are least
interested in this commodity.
WEAPONS: Highly profitable if bought and sold at the correct ports.
Increases danger of PIRATES.
OPIUM: Highly profitable if bought and sold at the correct ports.
Really increases the danger of PIRATES in direct relation
to how much you are carrying.

_____________________________________________________________________________________

BUYING and SELLING

You buy merchandise by pointing at the correct selection box and clicking
the left Mouse button. If you hold the button down, it will buy until you
run out of money, until your Ship is full or you let up on the button.

To sell use the Right Mouse Button in the same manner as Buy.

You must have cash to purchase cargo.
Your ship is capable of carrying 1000 tons of cargo.
All cargo except Opium is bought by the 10 ton minimum.
Prices shown are the price per ton. Multiply it by 10 to figure the total
cost.
Opium is sold by the kilogram but uses up 10 ton of space for each kilo.
Make believe cargo takes up the space.
_____________________________________________________________________________________

When you first start the game, the GAME window appears in the VIEW SCREEN
on the right.
The Game window allows you to start a new game, load a game previously saved,
Save the current game and Quit the program.

You may call up the GAME window anytime you are in a Port.
The Start a New Game obtion can only be used to start a new program when
you've just loaded the program.
When you load a previously saved game, click the right mouse button to begin.
To start a New Game while your playing a game, you must exit and restart
the program.
_____________________________________________________________________________________

SHIPS:
You are provided a sea-worthy but poorly equipped ship at the beginning of
the game. This is the only ship you will have through-out the game unless
it is sunk at sea by a storm or the PIRATES. Depending on how much money
you owe, Omi Stingey may or may not buy you another ship.

The game is not loaded with ways to kill you or sink your ship, although it
can happen. It will be rare unless you really anger the PIRATES. See PIRATES.
_____________________________________________________________________________________

GO TO TOWN:

You can upgrade your ship at any Port by going into town.
On the left side of the screen are some obtions. One of them is GO TO TOWN.
When you select the GO TO TOWN box, the town will appear in the VIEW SCREEN.
While there you may purchase the folowing:

CARGO COVERS Used to protect cargo.
One cover will protect 200 Tons of any one item
most of of the time.

SAILS Sails are graded 4 to 1. A grade 1 is the best.
Sails increase your ship speed in direct relation
to their grade. It speeds travel between ports
and helps to outrun PIRATES.
The price shown is a one time purchase price.
Sails will wear out so eventually they are reduced to
level 4.

CAPTAIN Graded 1 through 4, 1 being the best.
Having a good Captain will help you avoid Storms,
help outrun PIRATES and increase you chance of
winning a fight with the PIRATES.
The prices shown are TRIP COSTS!, not the selling
price of the CAPTAINS.
When selecting a CAPTAIN, take note that each one
requires a SIGN-ON BONUS as shown below:
CAPTAIN First Grade. 200,000 Yen
Second Grade. 100,000
Third Grade 50,000
Fourth Grade 25,000

CREWS Graded just like Captains. The better your crew,
the faster you ship sails, the safer your cargo is
and the better they fight. Crews require a SIGN-ON
BONUS as follows:
CREW First Grade 100,000 Yen
Second Grade 75,000
Third Grade 50,000
Fourth Grade 25,000
There is a chance that forth grade crews may elect to
abandon your ship to join the PIRATES.
If this happens, you must purchase a new crew at the
next Port.
The price shown is the TRIP price.

BROKERS You are allowed one BROKER.
When you have a Broker, all Buying prices at every
port is increased by a third. Remember, Buying prices
are what they will pay you!
Brokers require a SIGN-ON BONUS of 150,000.
The price shown is the TRIP cost.

TRIP PRICES Upon arrival at any port you must pay all of your
employees the amount indicated by their grade.
This is automatic and can even cause you to have
a minus amount in the BANK. Maintenance and repair
costs are also deducted automatically.

Captains and Crews will maintain their grades unless you fail to return to
Hong Kong every twelve trips.
____________________________________________________________________________

SELECTING A PORT:
To select a destination port you must select the MAP select square,
found on the right side of the screen, below the VIEW SCREEN.

Selecting MAP, brings up a map of the China Sea, complete with the Ports
you can visit. Two of the Ports are outside the area, Nagasaki and Tokyo.
You will find that more storms occur when your in these areas.

To select a destination, point at the colored dot before the ports name.
Click the left mouse button. You will hear a beep and the destination name
will appear above the View Screen.

After selecting a destination port, point the mouse again at the MAP select
and click the Right mouse button.

If you wish to buy and sell again, place the mouse pointer on GO TO SEA and
click the right mouse button.
Your ship at dock will appear in the View Screen.

If you have already done all the buying and selling you wish to do, you may
leave port.
Select the GOTO TO SEA and click the left mouse button.

____________________________________________________________________________

LEAVING PORT

You may not leave port if:
1. You don't have both a Captain and a Crew.
2. You fail to provide SAKI for your crew.
3. You have failed to select a destination Port.

To leave port, select GO TO SEA. If you hear a low beep, you haven't obeyed
the rules above.
Once you select GO TO SEA, the View Screen will show your ship at sea.
___________________________________________________________________________

AT SEA
While at sea you have no control of the program.
If you run into a storm, the View Screen will show your ship being tossed
about at sea.
If you lose cargo during a storm you will not find out about it until you
arrive at your destination port.
If PIRATES attack, you will see it on the View Screen. You will be prompted
on the View Screen for actions you can take.

If you lose cargo for any reason, it will not show until inventory is taken
automatically at your next port.
When you arrive at your destination port, the View Screen will once again
show your ship at the dock.
You may then buy and sell and all the other activities allowed while in port.
The time it takes to get from port to port is determined by the distance
between Ports, your Captain and Crew and the grade of Sails your ship has.
_________________________________________________________________________

CUSTOMS:

Periodically Customs will board your ship as soon as it arrives in port.
Hong Kong and Taipai are the only cities that always have Customs
inspections. Carrying OPIUM into Hong Kong is very dangerous but highly
profitable. Taipai will not buy or sell Opium.
Some ports such as Hong Kong will buy and sell Weapons, however they are
illegal and if customs finds them they will consficate them. You will lose
the Weapons and be fined 10,000 Yen.
Customs will only inspect upon your arrival, not your departure.

If you get caught with Opium onboard ship, you have two choices:
1. Bribe the Customs Officer.
2. Pay the fine. If you don't have enough money, you will go to jail.

The fine for carrying Opium is 75,000 Yen. You also lose the Opium.

If you attempt a bribe and are unsuccessful you will be jailed.
Your fine doubles.
If you are successful, a bribe of 10,000 yen is deducted from your bank
and the inspection ends. You get to keep the Opium!

If you are carrying more than 5 kilos of OPIUM, you will be jailed and all
your cargo will be consficated.

If you get sent to jail, only Omi Stingey can get you out and the amount he
must pay will be added to the amount you owe him, plus interest.

If you already owe him the maximum amount he will allow, the game will end,
with you in jail.
_____________________________________________________________________________________

OMI STINGEY
He will loan you up to 1,500,000 total, regardless of your credit.
If you borrow the maximum from him, you will have to pay him back 100,000 Yen
before he will loan you any more Yen.
If your efforts to pay him are meager, he may elect to foreclose.
This ends the game.
If you fail to make a payment after each set of 24 trips he makes a little
mark in his books against you.
You may pay him back only in 10,000 increments.
Select Debt to Omi Stingey with the RIGHT mouse button to pay 10,000
Select Debt to Omi Stingey with the LEFT mouse button to ask for a loan.
Loans are 50,000 yen per request.
If he approves the loan the money is deposited in the bank.
You will hear a low beep if he refuses.
_____________________________________________________________________________________

STORMS
You can run into a storm at anytime.
You can lessen the chance of running into a storm by hiring a better Captain.
You can lessen storm damage by hiring a better Crew.
You will run into more storms on the way to or from Nagasaki or Tokyo.
Storms can sink your ship or throw it off course or cause cargo or other
damage.
It is unlikely that you will lose a ship in a storm but it is possible.
Buy Cargo Covers to lessen Cargo damage.
You will not know the extent of cargo damage until you arrive at port.
If the destination is different than the one you wanted it is because you
were thrown off course.
The skill of your Captain determines how frequently your ship is thrown off
course.
Being thrown off coarse and into the wrong port can be dangerous if your
carrying Opium.
_____________________________________________________________________________________

PIRATES
You may run into Pirates at any time, however there are ways to trim them
to a minimum.
Never carry OPIUM, or Weapons. These items are desired in that order and
the likelyhood of being attacked is increased in direct relation to how much
of these items your carrying. A large shipment of 8 kilos of OPIUM or more
is an open invitation to them, so be conservative with these cargos.

If you are attacked, you will be prompted to take one of the following actions:
A. Beg for Mercy
B. Make a Run for it.
C. Fight

If you select A., Beg for Mercy, there is a good chance that the Pirate
Captain will be nice and in appreciation for not having to chase you, will
order his men to take only half of your cargo.
Even if he is nice, he will take all your weapons in the hold and any that
your crew may be carrying.
He will also take any OPIUM found onboard.
The Pirate Captain may be plain nasty and take everything.
The Pirates will always let you live and keep your ship under this option.

If you select B. Make a Run for it, and you are successful, you've escaped.
If your not successful the Pirate Captain will be angry and they will take
all your cargo.
Your life and ship are left intact, however they may kill enough of your
crew so that you have to hire a new crew at the next port.
You can increase your odds of escaping by having the best of everything,
Captain, Crew and Sails.
It is not unknown for a poorly equipped ship being lucky enough to escape,
unless it is burdened down with cargo.

If you select C. Fight , then your ship fights back. To do this successfully,
you must have a good or excellent Captain and Crew, have several cannon
and weapons for your crew.
If you win you are awarded a 50,000 Yen reward.
If you lose you can:
1. Lose your life and your ship. Game ends.
2. Lose your ship. Game continues if Omi Stingey thinks your credit is
good, otherwise the game ends.
Omi Stingey will buy you a new ship if your credit is good.
You must weigh carefully the consequences of fighting the Pirates.
It makes them extremely mad.

On rare occasions your crew may elect to join the Pirates.
You will have to hire a new crew at the next port. The grade of your crew
determines the likelyhood of this happening.

Money is not carried aboard the ship therefor a PIRATE attack has no effect
on your Bank Account.
____________________________________________________________________________

WAREHOUSE
In the port of HONG KONG, you have a warehouse. You can place excess cargo
their to await a better price or until you really need the cash.

Cargo in the warehouse is subject to theft and loss. They will slowly
dissappear the longer they are left there.

To transfer items from your ship to the Warehouse, point at the appropiate
box at the Warehouse and click the right mouse button.
Cargo will transfer 10 tons at a time.

To transfer items from the Warehouse to you ship, point at the appropiate
box at the Warehouse and click the left mouse button.
___________________________________________________________________________

AFTER THOUGHTS

The amount of damage to cargo is related directly to the severity of the
storm, the amount of cargo covers you have and the level of your crew.
Each cargo cover will effectively cover 200 tons of cargo.
For example, if you were carrying 250 tons of cargo and had only one cargo
cover when you ran into a heavy storm, your cargo cover could not cover all
of the cargo. Two things could happen.
You may lose only that which was not covered or you may lose more because
of leakage through the gap.

Never try and out run the Pirates when your ship is fat with cargo.
The odds are strongly against you.

A fat ship of any cargo is a tandilizing tidbit to a Pirate Ship.

If you click the mouse on something, especially in town and you get no
response, do it again. The program has many things to look over.
Do it until you get a beep. Don't hold it down, you may end up buying more
than one and you can't resell them.

If you become rich and famous, over 500,000 yen, the Pirates will begin
looking for your ship!

If you decide to return to buy and sell after selecting a destination Port,
point the mouse at the GO TO SEA box and click the right mouse button.
When your ship shows up at the dock you are ready to Buy and Sell again.

Have fun and feel free to leave comments or suggestions to LPOLECAT on
America On-Line.

RSC.