7 DAYS A SKEPTIC
By Ben 'Yahtzee' Croshaw

README

(7 Days A Skeptic is the sequel to 5 Days A Stranger. It is highly recommended that you play through the original game first. It is available to download at http://netmonkey.cellosoft.com/5days)


INSTALLATION

Unzip the contents of the .zip file to a new directory (eg c:\7days). Before running the 7days.exe, run winsetup.exe to configure your computer.


BACKGROUND

Nearly four hundred years have passed since what became known as the DeFoe Manor Incident, when an eccentric cat burglar known as Trilby brought an end to the reign of terror inflicted by a murderous wraith, the ghost of Sir Roderick DeFoe's abused, unwanted son. The incident is now remembered only by scholars of urban myth, and the true facts of the case are lost behind endless conjecture and fictionalisation.

Mankind has moved on from mother Earth, and after the invention of warp technology, is fast mapping the universe one light year at a time. Due to a shortage of materials, the Earth Federation instigates a new program to upgrade old and retired vessels. The Mephistopheles, a small ageing scouting craft, is the first ship to undergo the process. Crewed by a new compliment of 6 crewmen, she is assigned to map out the Caracus galaxy.

Just a few days into the assignment, the crew of the Mephistopheles discover an unknown artefact floating unprotected in deep space: an ancient metal locker. Ignoring advice from the Federation to leave it for a research vessel, the captain brings it aboard and prepares to lift the lid...


CHARACTERS

Captain Barry Chahal

A decorated veteran of the Earth Federation Navy, dangerously close to retirement age. Bitter at his superiors, Barry is somewhat disillusioned, but is eager to appear as 'one of the boys' to his crew. He is notorious for his reckless tendency to ignore regulations.

Commander Angela Garrett (First Officer)

An eminently qualified graduate of one of the Federation's top scientific academies, Angela has a strictly logical approach to life, and was placed on this posting by the Navy to provide a sober influence for Captain Chahal. As it turns out, Angela is somewhat sympathetic to the captain's viewpoint.

Ensign Serena Kyle (Helmsman)

A young recruit on her first assignment, Serena finished the bridge operations course at Ganymede University top of her class, and was snapped up for the Mephistopheles. She has studied the Earth Federation regulations avidly, and simply cannot be convinced that a ship can be run any other way.

Lieutenant Adam Gilkennie (Engineer)

Adam has been warned twice in the past for behaviour regarded as 'insolent' and 'unprofessional', but his skills as an engineer are highly attuned, and he knows it. He sees himself as the ship's self-appointed 'clown', and takes every opportunity to inject humour into a situation in the interests of morale.

Doctor William Taylor (Physician)

Another new recruit on his maiden voyage, William is a talented student of medicine but suffers from the usual anxiety that comes with a new job. He works hard because he is terrified that he will make a hash of his first posting.

Doctor Jonathan Somerset (Counsellor)

A veteran ship's counsellor and licensed psychiatrist, Dr. Somerset has a great understanding of human psychology and a deeply compassionate nature. It is to him that all of the crew come for reassurance and conversation, and the captain values his input.


CONTROLS

I've been experimenting with a lot of different interfaces in AGS and this is what I've come up with. Left click to make your character walk around. When your cursor is over something you can interact with, it becomes a box, and the name of the object appears. Right-clicking on it will open the inventory, and then you just left-click on what you want to use. Right-clicking on an inventory item will look at it.

To save and load a game or adjust the music and sound volume, move your mouse to the top of the screen to bring up the menu.

Hotkeys:

F5: Save game
F7: Restore game
F9: Restart game
F12: Save screenshot
Ctrl-Q: Quit game

THE TERMINAL

Sometimes you may be called upon to use a computer terminal. In these instances, just type a one-word command into the bar along the bottom, then click on 'OK'. For a list of available commands, type 'help'.


AN IMPORTANT HINT:

It is possible in several situations to die in 7 Days A Skeptic, so I need hardly remind you to save often. And when you're in a dangerous environment, which should usually be quite obvious, PROCEED WITH EXTREME CAUTION. This is particularly important when on EVA outside the ship; failing to observe the proper safety precautions can have dire consequences.

Hopefully, I have screened all the bugs out of 7 Days, but if you're clever enough to find one, email me on yahtzee@fullyramblomatic.com to give me a slap.


CREDITS

Artwork, programming, dialogue, story, characterisation and pretty much everything: Ben 'Yahtzee' Croshaw (http://www.fullyramblomatic.com)

AGS Engine by Chris Jones (www.agsforums.com)

Sound effects taken mostly from Half-Life

Playtesting by:
Manu Cardoen
Helmacron
Kevin Squires
Sarah Wright

THANKS TO:

All the playtesters - for their time and criticism
Valve - for not knowing about this
Phil Reed - for living the dream and keeping the faith
The AGS forum regulars - for not working out my false identity
The Brothers Redcloud - for the usual stuff
Bruce Campbell - for inspiring a generation