User Guide

ManualsBrandsGames PC ManualsOtherIMPOSSIBLE CREATURES

1102 Part No. X08-71301

Basic Commands

This section provides basic keyboard commands (most of which do not have buttons

onscreen). To view a full list of commands, see the “IC Commands.rtf” document in

the Goodies folder where you installed Impossible Creatures. Hotkeys can be recon gured

at the Gameplay Options screen, accessed from the 0Game Menu during gameplay.

Camera (view)

Focus on lab

................................................. HOME key

Zoom ........................................................... Mouse wheel

Pan

.............................................................. Drag+mouse wheel

Change angle

................................................ ALT+drag mouse

Reset angle and zoom to default

...................... BACKSPACE

Select unit, object, or button .................................. Left-click

Cancel order

........................................................ Right-click

Select all units of same type .................................. Double-click a unit

With unit(s) selected

Move

............................................................. Right-click new location

Attack

........................................................... Right-click enemy unit or structure

Attack-move

(attack everything on the way to destination)

...... Hold A key, left-click destination

Create group

................................................. CTRL+keyboard 0-9

Recall group

........................................................ keyboard 0-9

Queue orders (perform serially)

.............................. SHIFT+issue multiple orders

Skip movie

.......................................................... ESC

Access Army Builder from in-game

.......................... F12

Summary of content (16 pages)

PAGE 1
Basic Commands This section provides basic keyboard commands (most of which do not have buttons onscreen). To view a full list of commands, see the “IC Commands.rtf” document in the Goodies folder where you installed Impossible Creatures. Hotkeys can be reconfigured at the Gameplay Options screen, accessed from the 0Game Menu during gameplay. Camera (view) Focus on lab ................................................. HOME key Zoom ...........................................................
PAGE 2
Safety Warning About Photosensitive Seizures A very small percentage of people may experience a seizure when exposed to certain visual images, including flashing lights or patterns that may appear in video games. Even people who have no history of seizures or epilepsy may have an undiagnosed condition that can cause these “photosensitive epileptic seizures” while watching video games.
PAGE 3
to Welcome Impossible Creatures Welcome to Impossible Creatures™, a real-time strategy game of combat and discovery, where imagination and experimentation are your biggest allies in a struggle against evil. The year is 1937 and you are Rex Chance, renowned world adventurer and war correspondent. You have spent your life exploring the wilds of Africa, the ice shelves of Antarctica, and the sultry jungles of the Amazon. You’ve seen every beast on earth… or so you thought.
PAGE 4
Getting Help ROLLOVER TEXT Impossible Creatures uses extensive rollover help. As you pass the cursor over any object, command button, etc., Help text displays. Main Menu Campaign Player vs. Computer TUTORIAL Learn how to play Impossible Creatures. From the Main Menu, click Tutorial. You can also access the tutorial when you start a new single player game. Multiplayer COMMANDS See “Commands” on the back cover for a list of basic keyboard commands.
PAGE 5
CastCharacters of Rex Chance is a world adventurer, war reporter, and renowned explorer. His innate abilities as scout and storyteller have earned him much acclaim. Thousands of readers hang on his every word as he spins tales of adventure in his weekly newspaper column. But Rex carries a secret. He remembers little of his youth. He’d trade all his adventures for his one true quest, to search for his father, Dr. Eric Chanikov who disappeared when Rex was just a babe.
PAGE 6
Gameplay Your role DESIGN CREATURES It’s up to you to seek out and destroy the laboratories of Upton Julius and his brood… but you’ll have to get past their armies first. The lab is the key to the Sigma Technology. Destroy your enemies’ lab, and it’s all over for them. Use the Sigma Technology to design creature blueprints for your armies. The creature chamber, water chamber, and air chamber draw upon the blueprints to create creatures during gameplay. See “Creating Creatures” on page 12 to learn more.
PAGE 7
Technology sequences Lab Henchman Research Level 2 Genetic Amplifier Water Chamber (req: Level 2 Research) Research Level 3 Level 1 Creatures Swimming and Amphibious Creatures Research Level 4 Air Chamber (req: Level 3 Research) Sufficient coal and/or electricity must be gathered before structures can be built and/or research performed.
PAGE 8
Creating Creatures Sigma Technology gives you the ability to combine the genetic blueprints of two animals into a single blueprint of a hybrid creature. The blueprint is used by the creature chamber, water chamber, or air chamber during gameplay to generate the creatures. Army Builder Use the Army Builder to assemble your army of hybrid creatures. The blueprints of up to nine types of creatures can be inserted into a single army.
PAGE 9
Creating Creatures, continued... Combiner Zoo screen and animal selection screen The Combiner is the heart of the Sigma Technology. It performs the recombination of two stock animals to create the blueprint of a hybrid creature. Use the Combiner to choose the abilities you want to include in your hybrid. (Note: The Combiner cannot mix creatures that are already hybrids.) For some suggestions about creature combining, see “Creature Abilities” on page 17 to learn more.
PAGE 10
Creating Creatures, continued... Zoo screens Creature abilities Similar to the Army Builder and the Combiner screens, the Zoo Screen and the Animal Selection screen provide you with a summary of the attack abilities and research level rankings of the animals, as well as general specifications like cost in coal and electricity, research level ranking, defense, speed, sight radius, and so on. This section summarizes the different abilities creatures can possess.
PAGE 11
Creating Creatures, continued... HERDING Defensive abilities increase when near three or more like creatures. HIGH ENDURANCE Creature regenerates special abilities faster (like stink cloud, electric burst, sonar burst, etc.). Also negates movement penalties that result from stink cloud, poison, sonic attack, and soundbeam towers. HORNS Reduces target creature’s defense rating when in close combat. IMMUNITY Creature is immune to stink cloud, poison, plague, poison touch, and venom spray.
PAGE 12
Creating Creatures, continued... Creature’s anatomy Most of an animal’s abilities are linked to the following seven parts of its anatomy. Some animals have inherent abilities that are not linked to a particular part of the anatomy. (Icons shown are examples only.) HEAD Contributes to a creature’s close combat attack, like biting or ramming. Also contributes to its sight radius and senses, like sonar. Can also add ranged attack, like spitting venom.
PAGE 13
Creating Creatures, continued... Kinds of creatures to build The best way to learn which hybrids work best is to experiment on your own. However, the following types of creatures will provide you with a well-balanced army. AMPHIBIOUS UNITS Amphibious units are more versatile and can attack on land or sea, as well as retreat to the relative safety of water.
PAGE 14
Creating Creatures, continued... Result: The Cheetion Sample creature To help you understand how a creature is combined and why, let’s look at a sample creature and why its abilities might be useful. THE SCENARIO We want to attack a nearby encampment enclosed by bramble fences and protected by slowmoving creatures. WHAT DO WE NEED? The creature should be quick and have the ability to destroy brambles with immunity to thorns.
PAGE 15
Multiplayer Games Up to six players can engage in a free-for-all or join one another to form teams. To connect to a multiplayer game, click Multiplayer on the Main Menu. Connection types To join or host a game JOIN AN EXISTING GAME To link to an existing game over the Internet, click Join Game in the Game Lobby screen. LAN TCP/IP This is the default setup for LAN play. Games are played over a local area network (LAN). You must have a LAN adapter and be connected to a LAN.
PAGE 16
Technical Support Options Credits Relic Credits Director Alex Garden Producer John Johnson Assistant Producer Jennifer Hawke Design Jay Wilson - Lead Designer Quinn Duffy Andrew Chambers Damon Gauthier Programming Shane Alfreds-Lead Programmer Shelby Hubick Ian Thomson Drew Dunlop Francois Laberge Dominic Mathieu Johnathan Skinner Cedric Lee David Swinerd Art Andy Lang-Art Director Arthur Shimizu-Lead Artist Erin Olorenshaw Nick Carota Craig Calvert Angie Pytlewski Joe Schober Erich Salloch Ronel Mendoza A