User manual GAMES PC 1988-NEUROMANCER

[. . . ] Neuromancer PROGRAMMED DESIGNED By: By: TROY A. MILES BRUCE BALFOUR MIKE STACKPOLE BRIAN FARGO TROY A. MILES PRODUCED BY: BRIAN FARGO CHARLES H. H. WEIDMAN III By: DEVO DAVE WARHOL ARTWORK BY: SOUNDTRACK SOUND FX BY: TESTING By: BILL DUGAN BRUCE SCHLICKBERND TOM DECKER FASTDOS BY: BILL "BURGER" HEINEMAN Special thanks to Timothy Leary for all his help and inspiration for making Neuromancer a reality. Table of Contents Introduction . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . [. . . ] If a cowboy can afford it, there are a wide range of matrix simulators available. So many, in fact, that an independent reviewing service known as Consumer Review exists to help people decide which deck to buy. There are a number of differences between the standard deck, which is legally available to the average consumer, and a deck with cyberspace-capability. SHIELDING: Cyberdecks have built-in combat shielding which protects the cyberdeck and its software from ICE attacks. 6 RAM LIMITS: The programs that drive the operating systems in both types of decks, as well as icebreaking and other application softwarez, are enormous in comparison to the size of programs in archaic 20th century computers. Modern deck RAM (Random Access Memory) is highly efficient and can handle a number of these programs with remarkable speed. Decks are continuously powered by an internal power supply so that the memory is non-volatile. Once you've downloaded a program, it stays in memory permanently unless the deck is damaged or you erase the software. Some softwarez, however, are one-shot programs, consuming themselves after you execute them. Each deck has its own limit of the number of softwarez it can handle. Top of the line decks, such as the Ono-Sendai Cyberspace Seven, can manage up to 25 programs simultaneously. ROM CONSTRUCTS: Highly illegal and not available to private citizens, cowboy or otherwise, are the ROM Constructs. Each ROM Construct is a recording of an individual human's personality, responses, knowledge, and memories. Constructs are occasionally used by cyherdeck operators in the government and large corporations, which is why top of the line cyberdecks contain a slot for a ROM Construct cartridge. SKILL CHIPS Skills, in the form of "skill chips, " are available for purchase in Chiba City. Skill chips are implanted directly in the brain jack on the side of your skull, giving you instant access to that particular type of knowledge. For example, the Cryptology skill chip gives you the ability to decipher certain types of coded passwords. Skill chips cover a wide range of abilities, ranging from foreign languages to high-tech cyberspace skills. Skills can be improved through tutorials found in bases and training from knowledgeable Chiba citizens. Some skills are improved with experience in using that skill. In general, skills improve your chances of success both in the Real World and in cyberspace. Once you learn a skill, you remember it permanently. When you want to use a skill chip in a room in the "Real World, " you should always use the chip just after you enter the room, before doing anything else-including talking with other people. A list of skill chips can be found in Appendix A. BODY SHOP The Chiba City Body Shop serves two major functions-body part sales and "re-animation. " If a wealthy cowboy is unfortunate enough to get killed, and his body is found before it rots, it may be taken to the Body Shop for re-animation. This is an expensive process, but the dead cowboy rarely has any say in the matter. By sheer coincidence, the cost of re-animation almost always equals the amount of money the cowboy was carrying on his credit chip when he died. [. . . ] Select the software you want to debug or analyze and the Rom Construct will go to work. The Monitor option must be activated if you want the Rom Construct to be aware of your current activities. This is useful when things are happening so quickly that you may not be aware of certain things. . . such as your impending death. In monitor mode, if the Construct realizes you're about to die, it won't hesitate to let you know about it. [. . . ]