The Sentry Quick Reference

Key List
--------
Pan Left       S               Transfer      Q
Pan Right      R               Absorb        A
Pan Up         L               U-Turn        U
Pan Down       ,               Hyperspace    H
Create Robot   R               Sights On/Off SPACE BAR
Create Boulder B
Create Tree    T                             ^    |
Pause          <- or ->        UnPause       | or v

Energy Equivalents
------------------
Sentry         4               Boulder       2
Landgazer      4               Tree          1
Robot          3               Meanie        1



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The Sentry Documentation
========================
  Brought to you by M.A.A.D

The Sentry

In a strange universe of 10,000 landscapes where the only force is pure
energy, a lone robot does battle against the Sentry and her agents the
landgazers.

You control this robot in its attempt to usurp the Sentry as ruler of the
landscape.  To do this, you must maneuver around the Landscape, avoiding
the withering stare of the Sentry and Landgazers, until you are in a
position to absorb the Sentry.  Her energy is yours and you can replace
her as the ruler of that Landscape.

Once you have achieved this, you may draw upon your energy reserves and
hyperspace into a new, even more challenging Landscape to begin the struggle
afresh.

GETTING STARTED

Once the game has loaded, the title screen will be displayed.  Press any key
to access the Landspace Selection Screen.

You will first be asked to input a Landscape number.  Type in the number of
the Landscape you wish to go to and press RETURN.

If this is your first game of Sentry, or you have yet to be given a Secret
Entry Code, select Landscape 0000 by just pressing RETURN.  As this is the
only Landscape which does not require a Secret Entry Code, the next section
will be skipped and the game will start.

After you have selected a Landscape to go to, you will be asked to input an
8-digit Secret Entry Code.

Each Landscape has a corresponding unique Entry Code which is given once you
have successfully absorbed a Sentry and Hyperspaced safely out of her
Landscape.

Type in the Secret Entry Code number corresponding to your selected
Landscape and the press RETURN to start the game.

If you make an error when typing in numbers, you may edit them using delete.
If you input an incorrect Secret Entry Code, you will be put back into the
title screen after a delay of a few seconds.

LANDSCAPE OVERVIEW

After passing thru the Landscape selection section, there is a delay of
about nine seconds, after which you will be shown an aerial view of your
chosen Landscape.  This shows the relative positions of the Sentry (the one
standing on the tower) and any Landgazers that may be present.

You should study this display closely, as it will give you a feel for the
Landscape and enable you to plan your assault on the Sentry.  Although your
starting position is not show on this aerial view, it will be near the
lowest altitude possible on this Landscape.

Once you have familiarized yourself with the Landscape's layout, press any
key.  You will be teleported onto the surface of the Landscape and your
battle with the Sentry will commence.

THE DISPLAY SCREEN

After a delay of about six seconds, your robot's vision will clear and you
will be shown a view of the Landscape as your robot sees it.  Above the
viewscreen are two guages:  Robot's Energy (upper left corner) and the Scan
Warning/Pause indicator (upper right corner).

Robot's Energy
This gives an icon representation of how much energy your robot has in its
reserves.  The icon's represent the following energy values:
   Golden Robot = 15 units          Boulder = 2 units
   Robot = 3 units                  Tree = 1 unit
Thus, if the display shows 1 golden robot, 2 robots and a tree, you have a
total of 15+2x3+1 unit of energy, or 22 units.

Scan Warning/Pause Indicator
If a Sentry or Landgazer spots you, and can see the square your robot is
standing on, this indicator will fill with specks.  This is called a Full
Scan.  If the indicator is only half filled with specks, you have been
spotted but the Sentry or Landgazers cannot see the square your robot is
standing on.  This is called a Half Scan.
If you pause the game, the Scan Warning/Pause indicator will be filled with
solid color until you unpause.

LOOKING AROUND

At the start of the game, the Sentry and Landgazers (if any) are stationary,
listening for any sound which will give an intruder's position away.  You
should use this safe period to look around the Landscape using the Panning
keys.  This will give you a good idea of where on the Landscape your robot
is and how you should proceed.

Panning is the only operation your robot can do which does not make a noise.
Once you make a noise, by doing a U-Turn for example, the Sentry and
Landgazers will hear you and start to track you down.

(Note: From landscape 0000, if you pan right 9 times and up 3 times, you can
see the Sentry on her tower facing directly away from you.)

Although you can pan right and left through 360 degrees, you can only pan up
and down thru about 80 degrees.  This means that you cannot get an
upsidedown view of the landscape.

SCANNING

Once the Sentry and Landgazers are active, they operate as follows:

They slowly rotate around on the spot, searching the Landscape for square
which contain more than 1 unit of energy.  They will ignore emptry squares
and squares with only trees on, because trees are worth only 1 unit of
energy.

Once they can clearly see a square with an energy content of two or more,
they lock onto that square and start redistributing the energy in the
following manner:

1 unit is taken from the square and a tree is created on a random empty
square.  This sequence is repeated until there is only 1 unit of energy left
on the square (i.e., a tree).  The Sentry or Landgazer will then continue
rotating.

For example, a Sentry spots a robot on top of a boulder.

First, the robot (worth 3 energy units) is transformed into a boulder (worth
2 energy units) and a tree is created somewhere.  Then the Boulder becomes a
tree, and a second tree is randomly placed on the Landscape.  You now have a
tree on top of a boulder, worth 3 energy units.

Next, this tree disappears (leaving just a boulder) and a third tree is put
somewhere on the Landscape.  Lastly the Boulder is transformed into a tree
and a final fourth tree is created at a random location, leaving only a
single tree on the square.

It is important to realize that the amount of energy in a Landscape always
remains constant no matter what.  In the above example, the original 5 units
of energy (a robot and a boulder) was turned into 5 trees.

ABSORBING OBJECTS

Your robot can absorb Meanies, trees, boulders, robots, Landgazers, and the
Sentry herself and add their energy contenct into your robot's energy
reserves.

To absorb and object, turn on your sights and center them on the square
surface below the object to be absorbed and press the absorb (A) key.

The object will dissolve and once it is completely gone, your energy
reserves will increase by an amount corresponding to that object's energy
content. (i.e., absorb a boulder and your energy reserve goes up by 2.)

Boulders are different that all other objects in that you only have to place
the sights on a boulder's side in order to absorb it or to absorb an object
directly on top of the boulder.

If your sights are incorrectly place when you place the absorb key, an
audible warning will sound and you will not absorb the object.  Move the
sights and try again.

Once you have absorbed an object, turn off your sights as panning is much
slower with them on and you will have to move quickly to avoid the
Sentry or Landgazers.

CREATING OBJECTS

Your robot can create robots, boulders, and trees from its energy reserves.

Creating objects works in a similar way to absorbing.  First turn on your
sights and center them on an empty square, then press 'R' to create a Robot,
'B' to create a Boulder, or 'T' to create a Tree.

The object will slowly appear pixel by pixel and your energy reserves will
decrease by an amount corresponding to the created object's energy content.
(i.e. create a robot and your energy reserve goes down by 3).

Boulder can be placed on top of each other to form a stack on top of which a
tree (of questionable use) or a robot (of considerable use) can be placed.

To create an object on top of a boulder, place your sights on the boulder's
side and then press 'R', 'T', or 'B', as appropriate.

Place the sights on the top boulder in a stack to create an object on top of
the boulder stack.

MOVING

To move around the Landscape, first create a robot as described in the
section "Creating Objects".  This new robot can either be on the ground or
on top of a stack of boulders.  Then press the transfer (Q) key, ensuring
that your sights have not moved and are still on after creating the robot.

You will be transferred into the new robot, facing towards your old robot,
which you may absorb along with any boulders it may have been standing on.
You will be looking directly out in that direction;  you may need to pan
down in order to see the old robot.

You may also transfer to an old robot left on the landscape by putting the
sights on that robot's base and pressing the transfer key.

You may now move freely around the Landscape, using boulder stacks to gain
altitude until you are in a position to absorb the Sentry and become master
of the Landscape.

BEING SCANNED

If a Sentry or Landgazer spots you and can see the square you are standing
on (or the boulder you are standing on) the Scan Warning indicator will fill
with specks and you will hear a low buzzing sound.

This means you are being subjected to a Full Scan.

You have about 5 seconds to move out of the Sentry or Landgazer's view
before your energy reserve is drained 1 point at a time.  Each time an
energy unit is drained, a tree is randomly placed on the Landscape.

Once all of your energy has been drained, you will be absorbed and the game
is over (you lost!).

HYPERSPACING

Another way of moving is Hyperspacing.  This uses 3 units of energy from
your reserve, because it creates a new robot in a random position on the
Landscape and automatically transfers you to it, leaving your old robot
behind.

You are likely to end up at the same height or lower, but will never end up
on your original square.  If you hyperspace with less than 3 units of
energy, you have destroyed yourself and the game is over.

MEANIES

If you have been spotted, but the Sentry or Landgazer cannot see the square
which you are standing on, the Scan Warning indicator will half fill with
specks and you will hear a low buzzing sound.  This means you are being
subjected to a Half Scan.

Because the Sentry or Landgazer cannot absorb your energy, it attempts to
force you out into the open.  First it will look for a tree in your robot's
near vicinity.  Once a tree is found, the Sentry or Landgazer will transform
the tree into a Meanie.

The Meanie's job is to flush you out, which it does by forcing you to
hyperspace.  The Meanie rotates quickly making a low clicking sound, until
it is facing toward your robot.  If the Meanie can now see your robot, you
will automatically hyperspace and 3 energy units will be deducted from your
energy reserve.  If you have less than 3 energy units in your reserve when
you are forced to Hyperspace, the Meanie has killed you and the game is
over.

Onve the Meanie has forced you to hyperspace or if it could not see you, the
Sentry or Landgazer which created the Meanie will transform it back into a
Tree.

WINNING THE GAME

Once you have maneuvered your robot into a position where you can see the
top of the Sentry's tower, you can absorb her.

Once the Sentry has been absorbed, you can no longer absorb energy, although
you can still create objects and transfer to other robots.  If there are any
Landgazers still on the Landscape, they are still active and a threat to
your continued existence.

Once the Sentry has been absorbed, create a robot on her tower, transfer to
that robot and then hyperspace out of that Landscape.  You have defeated the
Sentry and ousted her out of the Landscape, but that was only 1.  There are
still 9,999 other landscapes to conquer, every one more hazardous than the
last.

Once you have hyperspaced out of a landscape, after a delay of about 15
seconds, you will be given a Secret Entry Code to a new landscape.

The Landscape you are given access to is worked out as follows:

The amount of energy in your reserve less 3 units for the hyperspace added
to the number of the Landscape you just hyperspaced from.

For example, you just completed and hyperspaced out of Landscape 4096, with
35 units of energy in your reserve.
You will be give the code to Landscape 4128 (4096+35-3).

HINTS AND TIPS

Once the Sentry and Landgazers are activated, they rotate on the spot thru
360 degrees in 30 degree increments.  It is important to work out which way
each Landgazer and the Sentry is rotating (either clockwise or
counterclockwise) as this will enable you to avoid their withering stare.

If you are not sure if a Sentry or Landgazer can see a square on which you
wish to transport to, create a boulder on the square.  If the boulder is
absorbed, then just wait until you hear the Sentry and Landgazers rotate.
It should now be safe to tranport to that square, unless a different Sentry
or Landgazer can now see the square.

TREES - NOT SO WORTHLESS!

At first the only thing trees seem to be useful for is to top up your energy
reserves.  But they do have another use.

Because you cannot be absorbed if a Sentry or Landgazer cannot see the
square that you are standing on, you can create trees in a position such
that the Sentry or Landgazer's view of your base is blocked.

By placing a tree between yourself and the Sentry or a Landgazer, you can no
longer be absorbed.  You will now be only Half Scanned.

BEATING THE MEANIES

The meanies rotate very quickly, so do not waste your time panning round
looking for it.  The Meanie will get you long before you get it.  Only if
the Meanie is created in your view screen or if you know where the Meanie is
created should you try to absorb it.

A Meanie, like the Tree it came from, is worth 1 energy unit.

If you cannot immediately absorb a Meanie, you should create a robot nearby
and transfer to it.  You should now see your old robot and the Meanie.  The
Meanie will rotate until it faces your old robot and then, realizing that
you are no longer in it, the Meanie will revert back to a tree.

If you absorb the Landgazer which created a Meanie while that Meanie is
active, the Meanie will freeze in position and be 'dead'.

Think you're good? --- A REAL challenge is to force a Meanie to be created
on the Sentry's tower.

IMPOSSIBLE LANDSCAPES?

Some Landscapes initially appear to be impossible to complete, but this is
not the case, all Landscapes are solvable.  The most difficult part of a
Landscape is at the beginning when you do not have much energy in reserve
and you are at the lowest altitude.

You quite often have to Hyperspace once or twice at the start of the game in
order to get to an area which is of any use.

If you get really stuck, go back to the last landscape and finish it with a
different amount of energy.  This will skip the difficult Landscape.

You should not know enough to devise your own strategies and master 'The
Sentry', the most absorbing game of all time.

