Deliantra-Client/pod/tutorial.pod

=encoding utf-8

=head1 Deliantra Client Tutorial - A gentle introduction to the game client

=head2 What's Deliantra - Basic Game Concepts

Deliantra is a 2D MORPG (Multiplayer Online Role Playing Game). This means
that you choose a character which will allow you to interact with a fictional
virtual world. In that world you can meet other people, fight monsters,
gain experience and gain treasures.

This Tutorial will guide you through the main interface elements of the
game client for Deliantra.

Later, if you managed to log in, another Tutorial will guide you through
the main game elements. It will teach you how to interact with the world
and other players.

Deliantra is freely distributed under the General (Affero)
Public License (GPL) and the code may be obtained from
L<http://www.deliantra.net/>.

=head1 Getting Started

First of all, don't be daunted by the apparent complexity of Deliantra -
in reality, Deliantra is quite easy to play and character generation is
simple. Later on, when you have some experience playing the game, you may
wish to read the full manual.

=head2 User Interface Basics

=head3 The Button Bar

First start with the button bar on top of the client window:

=for image sc_button_bar.jpg

That button bar consists of following buttons:

=over 4

=item B<Setup>

Opens the client setup window, where you can make all kinds of client
related settings. For example setting your login name and password,
the resolution, whether the client should run in fullscreen or windowed
mode. And lots of other things.

=item B<Playerbook>

This button will open one of the most important windows in the game: The
Playerbook. It will tell you many interesting and important statistics about
your character, for example which stats it got, which magical spells you know
and probably most importantly, whats in your inventory.

=item B<Save Config>

This button will save all settings you made in the B<Setup> window.
Also the positions of the windows will be saved, so that you don't have to
change the layout of the windows everytime you start the client.

=item B<Help!>

The B<Help!> button will open the documentation for the game, where
you will also find this tutorial. If you are stuck a look at the
L<Game FAQ|pod/faq> or the other documentation there.

=item B<Quit>

This button will exit the client. Be careful not to just quit the client
when you are logged in. You should really search for a save bed before
exiting. Because if you logout while being in a dungeon nasty cave-ins will
probably kill you if you are away for too long.

=back

=head3 Tooltips

Another B<very important> source of information for beginners are the
tooltips, which are shown when you hover with the mouse cursor above certain
user interface elements of the client:

=for image sc_tooltips.png

They often reveal very useful information about the user interface elements.
Also they answer many of the frequently asked questions about the usage of the
client.

And before you ask: No you can't disable them.

=head3 Minimap

=for image sc_minimap.jpg

This minimap can usually be found on the upper left of the client window,
it shows the rough layout of the map you are currently on. It can be helpful
to keep track of already explored areas.

=head3 Message Window

Another very important window is the B<Message Window>:

=for image sc_message_window.jpg

It shows all the important textual information which occur in the game.
The first tab, the B<Log> tab, usually shows status information about
the server for example the message of the day.

The next tab usually is the B<Map> tab, which shows any chat activity on the
map you are currently on.

The most social tab is the B<Chat> tab, where you can chat with all the to other
players on the server.

=head3 Short Log

The short log, which shows the most recent information which
occur while playing, for example stat changes (which for example happen
when you get poisoned) or activity messages.

This image shows the short log shortly after logging in:

=for image sc_short_log.jpg

=head3 Floorbox

The floorbox can be found on the bottom of the client window,
right from the middle of the bottom border:

=for image sc_floorbox.png

It shows whats on the floor below your character. With the right click
context menu you can pickup things or open the inventory with the 'More...'
button, which appears if there are too many items on the floor.

=head3 Gauges

The gauges on the bottom right of the client window display probably
the most interesting things while playing:

=for image sc_gauges.jpg

The blue gauge shows your health. If this gauge hits the bottom you will
die. The next, very shiny gauge, shows the amount of spell points you
can spend for casting magial spells. The bluish green gauge shows how
many grace points you got for using prayers. The last gauge shows
how much food you got in your belly. If your food is low your health
won't automatically improve, and you probably will starve to death.

Also remember to read the tooltips about these gauges.

Below those 4 gauges you find a line like this: "Exp: 928,708,227 (lvl 73)".
It shows how much overall experience your character got. And behind that number
you will find which level your character is. The character level influences
many aspects of your character.

Below the "Exp: ..." line you find another set of gauges: The one
with "90%" on it shows how much experience to the next character level you already
earned. Below that a gauge shows the same information for the level of
a specific skill.

And on the very bottom a line like this: "Range*: comet Combat: karate"
shows which spell or skill you have readied in your "range slot" and
which combat skill you have readied.

=head2 Start Playing

So, that's it for now to the user interface, you should get start playing now.
Open the B<Setup> window:

=for image sc_login.jpg

There are two important input boxes there:

=over 4

=item B<Username>

Here you have to enter the character name you would like to play with.  If you
are playing for the first time, type any name you like; this will be your
character name for the rest of the life of that character.  As you don't have a
character yet you have to create a new character. The tutorial and windows
popping up after you logged in for the first time with that character will
guide you through the character creation. 

=item B<Password>

Next, type in any password. Remember: you will need to remember the same
password again to play that character again! You can use B<Save Config> (see
the buttons on the top of the window) to save your settings, including name and
password, but if it gets lost recovery is difficult, so remember your password
or write it down at a safe place.

One more note: it's not a good idea to use "real" passwords to your
computer accounts! Doing so may make your system vulnerable to
unscrupulous Deliantra server administrators.

=back

Enter the desired I<Username> and I<Password> and click on I<Login / Register> now.

=head1 Authors

Parts of this document were originally compiled, edited, and written by
Brian Thomas, Klaus Elsbernd, and John W. Klar. Additional information
compiled by Maciej Kalisiak, Gorlin, Anton Oussik and Gene Alexander.

Adapted for use by I<Deliantra>, enhanced and corrected by Pippijn van
Steenhoven, Marc A. Lehmann and Robin Redeker.

Revision:	1.15
Committed:	Sun Mar 11 14:32:09 2012 UTC (12 years, 2 months ago) by root
Branch:	MAIN
CVS Tags:	HEAD
Changes since 1.14:	+4 -4 lines
Log Message:	* empty log message *
#	Content
1	=encoding utf-8
2
3	=head1 Deliantra Client Tutorial - A gentle introduction to the game client
4
5	=head2 What's Deliantra - Basic Game Concepts
6
7	Deliantra is a 2D MORPG (Multiplayer Online Role Playing Game). This means
8	that you choose a character which will allow you to interact with a fictional
9	virtual world. In that world you can meet other people, fight monsters,
10	gain experience and gain treasures.
11
12	This Tutorial will guide you through the main interface elements of the
13	game client for Deliantra.
14
15	Later, if you managed to log in, another Tutorial will guide you through
16	the main game elements. It will teach you how to interact with the world
17	and other players.
18
19	Deliantra is freely distributed under the General (Affero)
20	Public License (GPL) and the code may be obtained from
21	L<http://www.deliantra.net/>.
22
23	=head1 Getting Started
24
25	First of all, don't be daunted by the apparent complexity of Deliantra -
26	in reality, Deliantra is quite easy to play and character generation is
27	simple. Later on, when you have some experience playing the game, you may
28	wish to read the full manual.
29
30	=head2 User Interface Basics
31
32	=head3 The Button Bar
33
34	First start with the button bar on top of the client window:
35
36	=for image sc_button_bar.jpg
37
38	That button bar consists of following buttons:
39
40	=over 4
41
42	=item B<Setup>
43
44	Opens the client setup window, where you can make all kinds of client
45	related settings. For example setting your login name and password,
46	the resolution, whether the client should run in fullscreen or windowed
47	mode. And lots of other things.
48
49	=item B<Playerbook>
50
51	This button will open one of the most important windows in the game: The
52	Playerbook. It will tell you many interesting and important statistics about
53	your character, for example which stats it got, which magical spells you know
54	and probably most importantly, whats in your inventory.
55
56	=item B<Save Config>
57
58	This button will save all settings you made in the B<Setup> window.
59	Also the positions of the windows will be saved, so that you don't have to
60	change the layout of the windows everytime you start the client.
61
62	=item B<Help!>
63
64	The B<Help!> button will open the documentation for the game, where
65	you will also find this tutorial. If you are stuck a look at the
66	L<Game FAQ\|pod/faq> or the other documentation there.
67
68	=item B<Quit>
69
70	This button will exit the client. Be careful not to just quit the client
71	when you are logged in. You should really search for a save bed before
72	exiting. Because if you logout while being in a dungeon nasty cave-ins will
73	probably kill you if you are away for too long.
74
75	=back
76
77	=head3 Tooltips
78
79	Another B<very important> source of information for beginners are the
80	tooltips, which are shown when you hover with the mouse cursor above certain
81	user interface elements of the client:
82
83	=for image sc_tooltips.png
84
85	They often reveal very useful information about the user interface elements.
86	Also they answer many of the frequently asked questions about the usage of the
87	client.
88
89	And before you ask: No you can't disable them.
90
91	=head3 Minimap
92
93	=for image sc_minimap.jpg
94
95	This minimap can usually be found on the upper left of the client window,
96	it shows the rough layout of the map you are currently on. It can be helpful
97	to keep track of already explored areas.
98
99	=head3 Message Window
100
101	Another very important window is the B<Message Window>:
102
103	=for image sc_message_window.jpg
104
105	It shows all the important textual information which occur in the game.
106	The first tab, the B<Log> tab, usually shows status information about
107	the server for example the message of the day.
108
109	The next tab usually is the B<Map> tab, which shows any chat activity on the
110	map you are currently on.
111
112	The most social tab is the B<Chat> tab, where you can chat with all the to other
113	players on the server.
114
115	=head3 Short Log
116
117	The short log, which shows the most recent information which
118	occur while playing, for example stat changes (which for example happen
119	when you get poisoned) or activity messages.
120
121	This image shows the short log shortly after logging in:
122
123	=for image sc_short_log.jpg
124
125	=head3 Floorbox
126
127	The floorbox can be found on the bottom of the client window,
128	right from the middle of the bottom border:
129
130	=for image sc_floorbox.png
131
132	It shows whats on the floor below your character. With the right click
133	context menu you can pickup things or open the inventory with the 'More...'
134	button, which appears if there are too many items on the floor.
135
136	=head3 Gauges
137
138	The gauges on the bottom right of the client window display probably
139	the most interesting things while playing:
140
141	=for image sc_gauges.jpg
142
143	The blue gauge shows your health. If this gauge hits the bottom you will
144	die. The next, very shiny gauge, shows the amount of spell points you
145	can spend for casting magial spells. The bluish green gauge shows how
146	many grace points you got for using prayers. The last gauge shows
147	how much food you got in your belly. If your food is low your health
148	won't automatically improve, and you probably will starve to death.
149
150	Also remember to read the tooltips about these gauges.
151
152	Below those 4 gauges you find a line like this: "Exp: 928,708,227 (lvl 73)".
153	It shows how much overall experience your character got. And behind that number
154	you will find which level your character is. The character level influences
155	many aspects of your character.
156
157	Below the "Exp: ..." line you find another set of gauges: The one
158	with "90%" on it shows how much experience to the next character level you already
159	earned. Below that a gauge shows the same information for the level of
160	a specific skill.
161
162	And on the very bottom a line like this: "Range*: comet Combat: karate"
163	shows which spell or skill you have readied in your "range slot" and
164	which combat skill you have readied.
165
166	=head2 Start Playing
167
168	So, that's it for now to the user interface, you should get start playing now.
169	Open the B<Setup> window:
170
171	=for image sc_login.jpg
172
173	There are two important input boxes there:
174
175	=over 4
176
177	=item B<Username>
178
179	Here you have to enter the character name you would like to play with. If you
180	are playing for the first time, type any name you like; this will be your
181	character name for the rest of the life of that character. As you don't have a
182	character yet you have to create a new character. The tutorial and windows
183	popping up after you logged in for the first time with that character will
184	guide you through the character creation.
185
186	=item B<Password>
187
188	Next, type in any password. Remember: you will need to remember the same
189	password again to play that character again! You can use B<Save Config> (see
190	the buttons on the top of the window) to save your settings, including name and
191	password, but if it gets lost recovery is difficult, so remember your password
192	or write it down at a safe place.
193
194	One more note: it's not a good idea to use "real" passwords to your
195	computer accounts! Doing so may make your system vulnerable to
196	unscrupulous Deliantra server administrators.
197
198	=back
199
200	Enter the desired I<Username> and I<Password> and click on I<Login / Register> now.
201
202	=head1 Authors
203
204	Parts of this document were originally compiled, edited, and written by
205	Brian Thomas, Klaus Elsbernd, and John W. Klar. Additional information
206	compiled by Maciej Kalisiak, Gorlin, Anton Oussik and Gene Alexander.
207
208	Adapted for use by I<Deliantra>, enhanced and corrected by Pippijn van
209	Steenhoven, Marc A. Lehmann and Robin Redeker.
210