Anyone can distribute this file freely, just be sure to leave the entire ZIP file intact so this document is included. And please give me (Wally Hecht) credit!

The 6th Degree - A role playing game for the TI-85

This is a game I wrote during school. It is a complete RPG, is rather fun (in my opinion), and takes much more then a week to play all the way through it. This is an update to the previously released RPG, also by me (of course). It is essentially the same game, but the play is more balanced, and a few nifty features have been added.

Installing The 6th Degree:

Copy everything contained in the 3 files contained in the zip onto the calculator. These files take up close to all of the calculator's total memory, so I recommend you back up all your files on your computer then do a memory clear before copying the files so that there is sure to be enough room.
6thdegre.85G contains AAA, the main program, along with a number of other programs that are required for it to work. The only program you should ever run is AAA (such named so it would always be first, making it easy to access).
6thLISTS.85G contains several list variables - ones that contain the maps, enemy stats, player stats, inventory, and saved data. The other file, 6thvars.85g, has some variable definitions.

Playing The 6th Degree:

The 6th degree is a complicated game, and not everything may make sense at first. That's what this section is here for. Read this section fully before you begin to play! Better yet, print it out so you can refer to it as you play. The 6th Degree is menu driven; so most actions are easy to carry out.

The object:

The 6th Degree takes place within a cave that has 6 floors. The object of The 6th Degree is to work your way through all 6 floors. Each floor has a boss, and some of you out there may recognize them from another game that will respectfully go nameless for the time being. Your group is made up of 2 characters: a fighter and a mage. Both can fight with weapons and use spells.

Title screen:

On the title screen you will be given the option of starting one of three saved games, or you can start a new game. Included with the game are a few saved games you can play by selecting a saved game from the menu. The first time you play, however, I recommend you start a new game. When you save, remember which slot you chose so next time you play you can start where you left off last time!

The 6th Degree can be divided into 2 general areas: Exploring mode and Battle mode. Let's look at the Exploring mode first.

Exploring mode:

Exploring mode is where you move around and explore the cave.

To make the menu appear, press the [+] key. Here you can see the player characters (represented by the g) standing in the middle of a room. You can move to the next room in the directions indicated by open spaces by pressing the appropriate arrow key. In most cases, there will be an exit in the new room that will let you get back to the room you were just in (in other words, you can go back through the same opening). Be warned, however, that in later levels there are some one-way passages. As you walk around, you will be attacked at random by wandering groups of enemies. So don't wander about recklessly. I recommend that you make a map as you explore because the rooms tend to look alike, and it is easy to get lost.
The menu that appears when you press [+] allows you to do a few things:
ITEM brings up a menu that lets you use your items. When you select this option, several numbers will appear at the bottom of the screen. This is how many of each item you currently own (Potions, Elixirs, and Medics, in that order). Press enter to bring up a menu that lets you select which item you would like to use. [None] leaves the item menu. If you select an item, you will then have to select whom you would like to use it on. After you choose, the new current HP levels for both characters will be shown. Here are the items:
Potion (cost 30gp) restores around 50HP.
Elixir (cost 100gp) restores around 250HP.
Medic (cost ??gp) Restores HP to max.
Items can also be used in battles.
STAT brings up a screen that lets you view your current stats.

There are two columns of numbers because the stats are for both of your characters (except for the last two rows, which are the same for both characters). And here is what the numbers mean:
HP: Current and max Hit Points. When enemies hit you, your HP decreases. If your HP reaches 0, you die.
MP: Current and max Magic Points. These are required for casting spells and are used up every time you do so. Both HP and MP can be restored to max by staying at the inn.
STR: Current strength. This increases the power of your attacks.
AGI: Current agility. Higher numbers here mean that your turn will come up more often in battle.
AP/L: Current attack power and weapon level. Damage done when you attack due to your weapon. Can be increased by powering your weapons at the inn.
DP/L: Current defense power and armor level. Percent of damage the enemies deal with regular attacks (not spells like Plasma or GloomSplash) that you actually take. Obviously, lower numbers here are better (30% of 50 damage is less than 75% of 50 damage), and they can be improved by powering your armor at the inn.
EXP/NXT: Current Experience points and how much experience you need to get to the next level. When you defeat enemies you gain EXP. Get enough EXP and you will raise a level, increasing your stats.
LVL/GP: Current level and Gold. Levels are gained by winning EXP from the enemies. When you raise a level, your stats get better. The maximum level you can attain is level 45. Gold is used for buying stuff at the inn. It is also won by defeating enemies.

Press [Enter] to see a list of the spells you know. There are 4 spells, which I will cover in the battle section.

QUIT Ends your session of The 6th Degree. Use this option, rather then pressing [On]. It resets a few system variables The 6th Degree had to change to work properly. And it says goodbye!
EXIT hides the menu, allowing you to walk around again.

The Inn:

Each floor has an inn. When you find the inn, a menu will appear:

Here's what the options do:
STAY gives you the option to stay a night at the inn, which restores HP and MP to max, even if one of the characters has died. The exact price varies with each inn, but will be displayed on screen so you know what you're spending.
ITEM lets you buy items. Your current GP will be displayed. Select an item from the menu to buy it. There is no limit to how many items you can carry.
POWER lets you increase the power of your weapons and armor. Numbers will be displayed at the bottom of the screen, these show you how much each will cost you. Press enter to show the menu from which you can select what you want to be powered up. The selected item will increase in level by 1 and it will become better then it was before. The maximum level for weapons and armor is one greater then the current floor you are on. If you're on the 3rd floor, the maximum level for your weapons and armor is 4 (when the prices are listed the -X- symbol, that means the item is already at its current maximum level for the floor you are on and therefore can't be powered).
SAVE saves the game. You select which slot to save in, and then the game stores all the info about your current game state. After it saves, the item purchasing screen will appear (this is a bug). Saving is free.
EXIT leaves the inn, so you can walk around and explore.

Battle mode:

This is where you fight enemies. When you encounter some enemies, the screen will change so it looks like this:

The ls represent the monsters named at the top. Each name corresponds to an enemy in the following way: The top name is represented by the left l. The middle name is represented by the middle l. And the last name is represented by the left l. When these enemies do something, they momentarily become angless so you can see which enemy just attacked. Your characters are represented by the 2 ys below the enemies. Your current and max HP and MP are displayed below the characters. And in the bottom line attack damages and enemy spells are displayed. Press [Enter] to start the battle.
The battle runs on an attack when ready premise. The battle engine continuously loops, adding your AGI to your readiness scores, while doing the same thing for the enemies. When someone's readiness exceeds a certain number, it is its turn. After it does something its readiness is reset to 0 and the battle continues.
When it is one of your characters turns, the battle menu will appear and brackets will appear around that character.

Now it's decision time! Here's what the menu options do:
ATACK attack an enemy. Select the one to attack, and the damage you do will appear at the bottom of the screen. When an enemy runs out of HP and dies, it will disappear.
SPELL cast a spell. You will get a menu of the spells the current character knows. Select a spell, and in the case of DkOrb, select a target. These are the spells:
DkOrb (Dark Orb) cost 3MP. Moderate damage to one enemy.
Blitz cost 8MP. Moderate damage to all enemies.
Heal cost 4MP. Gives both characters a HP boost.
Zap! Cost 14MP. Heavy damage to all enemies.
Spells are learned as you raise levels. The fighter learns spells a few levels later then the mage does, and can never learn Zap! . Damage done by spells appears in the bottom row.
ITEM use an item. This command is identical to the one in the exploring menu. Note, however, that if you choose [Spell] or [Item] and then select [None], you will have just wasted your turn. So be careful before selecting these menu options!

When an enemy casts a spell, or uses some other form of special attack, the name of the spell will appear at the bottom of the screen. Press [Enter] to continue and see what it does (with the enemy specials 2 hits and 2 hits - 3 more, you must press enter after each hit). There are many spells enemies can use, and they have a variety of effects. All damage enemies do to you in regular attacks will appear at the bottom of the screen.

Bosses:

A boss guards each floor. When the boss is defeated, you will find the stairs and automatically move on to the next floor. Once you have gone to the next floor, you can never go back. The stairs are a one-way trip!
Here's a list of the bosses:

Mack A very simple boss. A warm-up for things to come.
Punchinello Watch for the bob-ombs he calls to his aid!
Yaridovitch Just when you think he's dead, he has another trick up his sleeve…
Axem Rangers 3 enemies each with its own specialty. Kill the green one first to stop its healing spell.
Exor Watch for the gunk ball attack the eyes send at you. It does more then damage you! Neosquid's Corona is also a doozy!
Smithy Very tough. You are very lucky if you can beat him and his 2 guns: the machine gun and wierd gun.

I think that's it. If you're unsure of something, just experiment!
EMail: daphire@aol.com

Or, visit my website at http://members.aol.com/daphire/quiksoft.htm

P.S. I think this version may have a few bugs. If you can figure out how to fix one, go ahead, but don't email me about it! I probably already know about it! The game is very playable and works just fine anyway.