PRogue Help

P.r.o.g.u.e.
Need Help? :)

Here at 2098 Software, Inc., we take pride in designing high quality games for IBM computers. Despite our best efforts, though, there will occasionally be errors to overcome. Also, if you don't quite understand how something works (after reading the readme file), you can always count on us to provide quick and effective assistance. :)

That's what this page is for. We like to think that we are also game players who often times get frustrated by inadequate documentation. Hopefully, this page will help. :)

The Basics

If you are having trouble running P.r.o.g.u.e., here are a few suggestions to help you get started:

Trouble Shooting guide:
What's wrong?                                                                                      Likely cause

I ran progue.bat and nothing happened. Either QBasic.exe or sbmidi.exe are not in the same directory. QBasic 1.1 is on all DOS-based machines to my knowledge, but you can also download it from Microsoft. Later versions of PRogue are self-running, meaning all you have to do is run "progue.exe".

The program says I need to run config.exe first. Make sure you run config.exe if you're playing for the first time. The program requires it in order to determine system and monster speed.

I read readme.exe but it didn't help much. That's ok...Learning a new game always takes time. :) If you are having trouble during game play, enter 'h' or '?' at any time for a list of one-word commands. If that doesn't help much, you can always E-mail us. :)

I saved a game but it failed to load. Chances are you misspelled the name. Computers are very picky about filenames. In this case, you don't need the three letter extension (.psv) after the name...you just need the characters name.
Also, you cannot load a game during gameplay. To get out, enter 'Q' (that's a capital Q, not a lower case) and type 'y'.

The computer keeps saying 'Device cannot play'. This just means the Soundcard is in use by another application. This may occur after quitting P.r.o.g.u.e. and then running it a second time in the same session...
OR
This may occur because another application other than P.r.o.g.u.e. is using the soundcard. You may have to quit the other application before the music can play.

The program crashed and I'm in Qbasic (or DOS) A number of things may cause this:
   o - You misspelled your character's filename.
   o - You did not run config.exe if it's your first time.
   o - sbmidi.exe may not be installed in memory. Make sure this is done before running P.r.o.g.u.e. (although this should be automatically done when you run progue.exe).
   o - Out of Memory error. This is *extremely* rare and has yet to occur after versions 1.15. If, however, this does occur...don't panic. :) Just Restart the program in QBasic and Run it again. If this doesn't work, however, you will have to quit QBasic, DOS and retry. If you are running the self-running PRogue, you'll just need to restart the game.
   o - You may have accidentally deleted some necessary filenames from your PROGUE directory. If you're playing the Midi-version, all files that end in .mid, .map, or .spr are required by progue.bas. The non-midi version only requires .map and .spr files.

The sound won't stop playing. This is uncommon, but occasionally even after quitting P.r.o.g.u.e. it fails to shut off the music. Your best bet is to run a media player that has MIDI playing functions to shut it off. Also, you can get on the web and find a page that has MIDI playing in the background (like progue.html for instance). :)

The sound fails to play. Your soundcard is in use by another application. Quit all programs that require your soundcard before running P.r.o.g.u.e. It should clear up fine after doing so.

Gameplay

Trouble Shooting guide:
What's wrong?                                                                                      Likely cause

I can't move! You need to move with the arrow keys. Unfortunately, the mouse doesn't work in P.r.o.g.u.e..

I can't enter this staircase. Some staircases will allow you to enter them from the side, but not from above. This is a quirk, but I have no solution at this time. Sorry. :(

How do I pick things up? In some Rogue-like games, merely walking over an object allows you to pick it up. However, this feature is not incorporated into P.r.o.g.u.e. In order to get something, stand over the object and hit 'g'. If you have less than 21 items on hand, you should be able to pick it up (there are some exceptions, however).

How do I fight monsters? Why do they keep healing? To answer the first part, all you have to do is run into them. Half the time you will attack first; the other half, they will surprise you. Once you run into them, the automated fight sequence takes place. To run away, hit 'r'. Sometimes they will trap you and you won't be able to run away. This is completely normal.
The second part is less complicated. We gave each monster 75 hit points to start out with...no more, no less. It may go up or down depending on how difficult the dungeon level is. Because the player can become very powerful, they are allowed to heal some whenever they (or you) run away. It's only fair, and it makes the game a challenge. :)

How do I use keys and other items? Some items you can 'u'se, others you can 'w'ield or 'W'ear; still others you can 'q'uaff or 'e'at.
Things you can 'u'se:
   o - Bombs (you need to be standing next to a trap)
   o - Scrolls (can be used anywhere)
   o - Candles (they last 50 moves)
   o - Medipacks (can be used anywhere)
Things you can 'w'ield:
   o - All weapons (staff is not a weapon)
Things you can 'W'ear:
   o - All armor (including the ring)
Things you can 'q'uaff:
   o - Small potions (full heal)
Things you can 'e'at:
   o - Pretzels (10-25 hits recovered)
You will notice that you may have more than one bomb, candle,scroll, pretzel and key. However, each item picked up counts towards your IC (items carried) total.

How do I enter shops? How do I buy stuff? Shops are easy to enter. Just walk over them and a prompt will ask you 'Enter this shop? <y/n>' Depending on your answer, you will enter the shop.
Follow the prompts in the store. They are self-explanatory. :)

What do '>'.'<' and '?' do? The '>' and '<' symbols are teleports. Walk over them and a prompt will ask you if you want to teleport. Selecting yes will take you to the next available teleport.
The '?' mark is a Mystery symbol. It can do both good and bad to walk over it. Do so at your own risk! :)

How do I open doors? First, you must have a key. Once you have at least 1 key, go next to the door until you can't move further and enter 'o' (for open). A message will say 'The door swings open...'. Now move in whatever direction the door is facing. The door will disappear and you should be on the other side.

Back to the P.r.o.g.u.e. homepage (tripod link)
Back to P.r.o.g.u.e. homepage (2098 Software, Inc web site)

I ran progue.bat and nothing happened.	Either QBasic.exe or sbmidi.exe are not in the same directory. QBasic 1.1 is on all DOS-based machines to my knowledge, but you can also download it from Microsoft. Later versions of PRogue are self-running, meaning all you have to do is run "progue.exe".
The program says I need to run config.exe first.	Make sure you run config.exe if you're playing for the first time. The program requires it in order to determine system and monster speed.
I read readme.exe but it didn't help much.	That's ok...Learning a new game always takes time. :) If you are having trouble during game play, enter 'h' or '?' at any time for a list of one-word commands. If that doesn't help much, you can always E-mail us. :)
I saved a game but it failed to load.	Chances are you misspelled the name. Computers are very picky about filenames. In this case, you don't need the three letter extension (.psv) after the name...you just need the characters name. Also, you cannot load a game during gameplay. To get out, enter 'Q' (that's a capital Q, not a lower case) and type 'y'.
The computer keeps saying 'Device cannot play'.	This just means the Soundcard is in use by another application. This may occur after quitting P.r.o.g.u.e. and then running it a second time in the same session... OR This may occur because another application other than P.r.o.g.u.e. is using the soundcard. You may have to quit the other application before the music can play.
The program crashed and I'm in Qbasic (or DOS)	A number of things may cause this: o - You misspelled your character's filename. o - You did not run config.exe if it's your first time. o - sbmidi.exe may not be installed in memory. Make sure this is done before running P.r.o.g.u.e. (although this should be automatically done when you run progue.exe). o - Out of Memory error. This is extremely rare and has yet to occur after versions 1.15. If, however, this does occur...don't panic. :) Just Restart the program in QBasic and Run it again. If this doesn't work, however, you will have to quit QBasic, DOS and retry. If you are running the self-running PRogue, you'll just need to restart the game. o - You may have accidentally deleted some necessary filenames from your PROGUE directory. If you're playing the Midi-version, all files that end in .mid, .map, or .spr are required by progue.bas. The non-midi version only requires .map and .spr files.
The sound won't stop playing.	This is uncommon, but occasionally even after quitting P.r.o.g.u.e. it fails to shut off the music. Your best bet is to run a media player that has MIDI playing functions to shut it off. Also, you can get on the web and find a page that has MIDI playing in the background (like progue.html for instance). :)
The sound fails to play.	Your soundcard is in use by another application. Quit all programs that require your soundcard before running P.r.o.g.u.e. It should clear up fine after doing so.

I can't move!	You need to move with the arrow keys. Unfortunately, the mouse doesn't work in P.r.o.g.u.e..
I can't enter this staircase.	Some staircases will allow you to enter them from the side, but not from above. This is a quirk, but I have no solution at this time. Sorry. :(
How do I pick things up?	In some Rogue-like games, merely walking over an object allows you to pick it up. However, this feature is not incorporated into P.r.o.g.u.e. In order to get something, stand over the object and hit 'g'. If you have less than 21 items on hand, you should be able to pick it up (there are some exceptions, however).
How do I fight monsters? Why do they keep healing?	To answer the first part, all you have to do is run into them. Half the time you will attack first; the other half, they will surprise you. Once you run into them, the automated fight sequence takes place. To run away, hit 'r'. Sometimes they will trap you and you won't be able to run away. This is completely normal. The second part is less complicated. We gave each monster 75 hit points to start out with...no more, no less. It may go up or down depending on how difficult the dungeon level is. Because the player can become very powerful, they are allowed to heal some whenever they (or you) run away. It's only fair, and it makes the game a challenge. :)
How do I use keys and other items?	Some items you can 'u'se, others you can 'w'ield or 'W'ear; still others you can 'q'uaff or 'e'at. Things you can 'u'se: o - Bombs (you need to be standing next to a trap) o - Scrolls (can be used anywhere) o - Candles (they last 50 moves) o - Medipacks (can be used anywhere) Things you can 'w'ield: o - All weapons (staff is not a weapon) Things you can 'W'ear: o - All armor (including the ring) Things you can 'q'uaff: o - Small potions (full heal) Things you can 'e'at: o - Pretzels (10-25 hits recovered) You will notice that you may have more than one bomb, candle,scroll, pretzel and key. However, each item picked up counts towards your IC (items carried) total.
How do I enter shops? How do I buy stuff?	Shops are easy to enter. Just walk over them and a prompt will ask you 'Enter this shop? <y/n>' Depending on your answer, you will enter the shop. Follow the prompts in the store. They are self-explanatory. :)
What do '>'.'<' and '?' do?	The '>' and '<' symbols are teleports. Walk over them and a prompt will ask you if you want to teleport. Selecting yes will take you to the next available teleport. The '?' mark is a Mystery symbol. It can do both good and bad to walk over it. Do so at your own risk! :)
How do I open doors?	First, you must have a key. Once you have at least 1 key, go next to the door until you can't move further and enter 'o' (for open). A message will say 'The door swings open...'. Now move in whatever direction the door is facing. The door will disappear and you should be on the other side.