LITTLE COMPUTER PEOPLE
(c) 1985 Activision, Inc.

Contents
--------
1. General Description
2. How to Play
    How to Start
    Letter of Introduction
    Making Contact
    Entering Your Name
    Entering the Date
    Entering the Time
    Moving In
    Caring for Physical Needs
    Caring for Emotional Needs
    Mood Boosters
    Recreation and Relaxation
    Keyboard Communication
    Changing the Researcher's Name
    Playing Games
    Observations
3. Hints

1. General Description
-----------------------
This deed gives you official permanent title to the research software 'house-on-
a-disk' accompanying this software. You, the undersigned, agree to maintain said
house and its occupant according to the instructions put forth below.
Congratulations on your new house!

There really are little people living inside your computer. And one of them is
waiting for you to give him a home... and be his friend.

He will talk to you and play with you and live a very happy life, as long as you
take care of him.

This Discovery Kit contains a house for one Little Computer People. Try it. See
who moves in. You will discover a whole new world of computer fun and
friendship.

2. How to Play
--------------

How to Start
------------
Before you start playing Little Computer People, you should create your own
Little Computer Person. Normally, when you use the Little Computer People disc
for the first time ever, you will be asked to enter your name, as well as the
date and time. This information is used to create your Little Computer Person.

However, once a Little Computer Person has been created, there is normally no
way to replace him. The Little Computer Person that is currently on the disc
belongs to NVG. Fortunately, a program (from the Amstrad Action magazine) has
been included which allows you to replace NVG's Little Computer Person with your
own. To run it, type RUN"NEWLCP". (If you don't like the LCP you have been
given, try running the program again and enter a different date and/or time.)

When you have created your own LCP, you can type RUN"LCP" from now on. Follow
the on-screen instructions to begin the game.

Letter of Introduction
----------------------
Dear Fellow Researcher,

We're happy to welcome you to the Activision Little Computer People Research
Group.

As you may have read, we suspected for quite some time that there was something
living inside most computers. But we didn't know who, what, or how many there
were.

After years of research, hard work, and creative speculation, we invented what
finally became the turning point in this arduous investigation: the 'house-on-a-
disk'.

When our first Little Computer Person so tentatively entered his new 'home', it
was an experience beyond explanation. You'll soon see what we mean.

From that moment on, we have been collecting volumes of information on the
Little Computer People: what their personal habits are, what they like, what
they don't like.

We now believe that every single computer has its own Little Computer Person.
And that every Little Computer Person is unique in appearance and personality.
This is why we have opened this research project up to all interested computer
owners.

We also have strong evidence indicating that there are actually several Little
Computer People in every computer. But it seems that only one will reside in any
given home. So, if you find you enjoy caring for and observing your first Little
Computer Person, you may want to sign up to study others your computer may hold.

The preceding guide is a compilation of what's currently known about providing
for the little person inside your computer. Use this guide as an outline. But
remember, please, to experiment on your own.

There are many questions that are still unanswered. And only through the support
and cooperation of people like yourself will we ever be able to fully understand
our newfound friends.

Sincerely,

David Crane and Sam Nelson, for the Activision Little Computer Person Research
Group

Making Contact
--------------
Every time you follow the procedure outlined in this section of the guide, you
will begin a new research session with your Little Computer Person.

In your first session, you will be required to enter your name, the date and
time for your research files.

In all subsequent sessions, you will only be asked to enter the date and time.

Entering Your Name
------------------
The first thing to appear on the screen is your research notebook. You will be
asked (in your first session only) to log your name into the project files. (To
later change the name, see Changing the Researcher's Name below.)

Using the keyboard, type your name (first name first) in the spaces provided on
the screen.

Entering the Date
-----------------
The format for entering the date is DD/MM/YY, where DD stands for the day, MM
stands for the month, and YY stands for the year. Be sure to enter the numeric
digit for each space. Use zeros in front of numbers less than ten.

For example, if you start a session on January 1st, 1986, type: 01 01
86, then press RETURN.

Entering the Time
-----------------
The format for entering time is HH:MM, where HH stands for the hour and MM
stands for the minute. As in Entering the Date, above, use zeros in front of
numbers less than 10. Type A for AM, P for PM.

Twelve o'clock midnight should be entered: 12 00 A, noon should be entered as:
12 00 P.

Moving In
---------
If this is your first research session, your house will be empty when it appears
on the screen. Based on our findings to date, most Little Computer People are
quite shy and will not readily rush into a new situation. In fact, it may take
several minutes before they actually muster the courage to step inside the new
home you're providing for them.

On the other hand, Little Computer People have also been found to be quite
loyal. Once they have moved in, you can expect them to be in their new home on
subsequent sessions. In fact, we've never seen one move out yet.

When a Little Computer Person enters a house for the first time, we've found
that he will usually inspect the new home for anywhere from 5 to 10 minutes.
Then he usually leaves to retrieve his belongings. Yours will probably return
shortly with his suitcase. Most Little Computer People also bring their dog. If
yours doesn't, contact us.

NOTE: KEYBOARD COMMANDS ARE NON-FUNCTIONING DURING THE MOVE-IN SEQUENCE.

Care and Feeding of Your Little Computer Person, or How to Make Sure the Person
Inside Your Computer is Healthy, Happy, and Totally at Home
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Although Little Computer People are basically quite independent, once they move
into their new home they are, in a sense, living in your world. So they will
need your help in certain areas.

To ensure that your Little Computer Person is healthy, see that he always has
food and water. (The dog also needs food.) Both hunger and dehydration can make
Little Computer People sick. They generally turn green and just lie in bed when
they are sick.

Also, because they tend to be quite active, they should not be allowed to sleep
too much. They would much rather have your attention.

Caring for Physical Needs
-------------------------
Hold the CONTROL key down and press the designated letter to care for your
Little Computer Person's physical needs.

 CONTROL+F - Food is delivered to his front door.
 CONTROL+W - Fills the water tank. Each time you press CONTROL+W, approximately
             one glass of water is added to the water tank.
 CONTROL+A - Rings the alarm clock.
 CONTROL+D - Leaves dog food at the front door. Your Little Computer Person will
             do the rest.

Caring for Emotional Needs
--------------------------
Addressing the physical needs of your Little Computer Person is relatively easy.
To know if he needs food or water, you simply look to see if his supply is
running low.

Addressing emotional needs, however, takes much more sensitivity and careful
study. First of all, you must be aware of his different moods. So far, we've
discovered four distinct moods in the Little Computer People:

                                      :-)
                                     Happy
                   He's probably getting plenty of attention.

                                      :-|
                                    Content
               He's fine but could be better. Try a Mood Booster.

                                      :-(
                                      Sad
                        Needs Mood Boosting immediately.

                                  :-( (green)
                                     Sick
      This happens when he has gone without food and water for a long time.

Mood Boosters
-------------
There are several ways to elevate the mood of your Little Computer Person.
Studies indicate that some ways are more effective than others, and new
techniques are constantly being reviewed and discovered. Please record your own
discoveries.

 CONTROL+C - A phone call. Many Little Computer People enjoy receiving phone
             calls - unless they are constantly interrupted to the point of
             irritation. We have not yet deciphered their spoken language, nor
             discovered with whom they chat.
 CONTROL+P - Physical contact (or "Petting"). We haven't found one yet who
             doesn't respond to this instantly. NOTE: In order to pet your
             Little Computer Person, he must be sitting in his easy chair in the
             living room. To call him to the chair, press CONTROL+P and he will
             know you want to pet him.
 CONTROL+R - Leaves a record for his stereo at the front door.
 CONTROL+B - Leaves a book at the front door for him. NOTE: Records and books
             elevate your Little Computer Person's spirits only for mild cases
             of the blues.

Playing Games - this is one of their favorite pastimes, so it naturally makes
them feel great. See Playing Games for details.

Recreation and Relaxation
-------------------------
Most Little Computer People are very good at entertaining themselves. They're
good pianists and can play compositions from Bach to Boogie Woogie. They also
like their record collections. In fact, albums make great gifts for them.

We've noticed that some Little Computer People exercise frequently. Many seem to
enjoy playing with their computers or sitting down in their easy chairs with the
newspaper we've provided. You may even be able to talk them into building a fire
in the fireplace. (See Keyboard Communication, below.)

Keyboard Communication
----------------------
We recently found that we can communicate quite extensively with Little Computer
People by typing sentences using the computer keyboard. These sentences can be
in the form of questions, suggestions, or requests. We use them to evoke a wide
range of responses and reactions from Little Computer People. You can do the
same.

Though we are just beginning to scratch the surface, here are a couple of
requests we have tried:

 Please type a letter to me.
 Please build a fire.

Little Computer People are especially responsive to good manners. So remember to
incorporate words like "Please" and "Thank you" into your requests.

Changing the Researcher's Name
------------------------------
To change the name of the researcher, type "logon please", and then press
RETURN. Select the program called "Name Changer" by pressing 1 on the keyboard.
Then follow the instructions at the top of the screen.

Playing Games
-------------
As far as we know, almost all Little Computer People like to play games. Each
Little Computer Person has his own individual favourites, so we've listed a few
of the games we've noticed occurring most frequently, along with simple
instructions for playing them.

A Little Computer Person will usually allow you to make the game selection. He
will knock on the glass of your TV or monitor to get your attention and ask you
to select a game from the list at the top of the screen. Type in the number of
the game you want to play.

1. Card War

This is a simple game in which you are each dealt 26 cards from a 52 card deck.
(Little Computer People always prefer to deal.)

You both draw the top card from your pile. Your Little Computer Person will show
you his card first. To show your card, press f7 as indicated by the command menu
in the upper right corner of the screen. Whoever has the higher card wins the
hand, and both cards are added to the winner's stack.

When both cards shown are of equal value, this is called WAR!! At this point,
your Little Computer Person deals out 4 more cards to himself and 4 more cards
to you, face down. He will then turn over his last card; press f7 to show your
last card. Whoever has the higher card wins the hand, and all of the cards on
the table are added to his stack.

If the last cards shown during WAR!! are of equal value, then your Little
Computer Person continues to deal 4 more cards each until someone wins the hand
using the same rules.

The game is over when one of you has all 52 cards. You can press f0 at any time
if you decide that you want to quit.

2. Anagrams

When you play anagrams with your Little Computer Person, he'll insist on being
the one to think of the word. You'll be the one who unscrambles it.

A scrambled version of the word he's thinking of appears in big type on the
screen.

You type in what you think is the correct word, and he will tell you whether
your guess is right or wrong. He'll let you guess 8 or 9 times before he tells
you the word.

If you need a hint, press f4, and one letter will assume its correct place in
the scrambled word.

NOTE: A Little Computer Person will not give you two hints in a row. You must
guess at least once between hints.

Press f7 to quit this game. We have never had a Little Computer Person quit
playing on his own.

3. 5-Card Draw Poker

Standard poker rules apply. As usual, your Little Computer Person will probably
insist on being the dealer. You're just going to have to go along with it.

You both start out with 200 poker chips, as displayed at the top left of the
screen.

Your number of chips is below his. Bets and raises are limited to 20 chips each.

Press f7 to ante up one poker chip and begin the game.

The Little Computer Person will deal each of you 5 cards (yours are face up) and
ask if you feel lucky. (He is really asking if you want to bet any chips.)

The menu in the upper right corner gives you three choices.

 Bet (f7)        - Bets one poker chip every time you press f7.
 Enter (f4)      - Enters your bet.
 Pass/Clear (f1) - Lets you pass when you feel you have a weak hand and do not
                   want to bet, or clears your bet if you decide to bet a
                   different amount.

After you make a bet or pass, the Little Computer Person will either match your
bet or pass.

When the Little Computer Person asks if you want cards, press any combination of
numbers from 1 to 5 on the keyboard to discard the cards that you don't want.
(As examples, to discard the card on the far left, press 1. To discard the card
second from the right, press 4.) Press the number again to make your original
card reappear. You can discard all five cards if you like.

Once you've discarded the cards you don't want, press f7 to draw replacement
cards. Your Little Computer Person deals them to you.

If you want to keep all five of your original cards, press f4 to stay. You will
not be dealt any replacement cards.

Your Little Computer Person then tells you on the screen how many cards he
discards.

You now have the option to make another bet.

At this point, your Little Computer Person may raise his bet and give
you two choices:

 See (f7)   - Lets you match his bet.
 Fold (f4)  - Lets you abandon the hand, losing whatever you've bet so far.

If you opt to see, you'll be given three more choices:

 Raise (f7) - Lets you raise the bet even higher.
 Enter (f4) - Enters your raise.
 Call (f1)  - Stops betting for that hand and lays the cards on the table.

After each hand, you have the option to quit the game (f0).

Observations
------------
It would be beneficial for you to create a log book in which to record your
observations. You will quickly start to notice distinct character traits in your
particular Little Computer Person. A detailed record of these traits is very
important to the research project as a whole.

Please keep in mind that your discoveries and insights, like everyone else's,
are critical to an accurate analysis of this important investigation.

 Researcher's name:
 Moving in:
 Date:
 Time:
 Unusual Activities:
 Appearance:
 Hair:
 Clothing:
 Name of Little Computer Person:
 Appetite:
 Sleeping Habits:
 Overall Health:
 Predominant Moods:
 Housekeeping Hints:
 Hygiene:
 Moods:
 Musical Ability:
 Game Playing Aptitude:
 Letter Writing Ability:
 Forms of Relaxation:

3. Hints
--------
Be sure to pay attention to your Little Computer Person's emotional needs as
well as his physical needs.