Zyll(PC game, early DOS era) FAQ
version 0.4.0(text maps and basic item info)
copyright 2003 by Andrew Schultz This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.
Please do not reproduce this FAQ for profit without my prior consent.
This FAQ is copyright 2001 Andrew Schultz. If you write me a note
specifically using my name and this FAQ's name I will likely approve
your request. This document is largely for nostalgia purposes in
addition to the strategic insights I hope it provides.
****AD SPACE****
My home page:
http://www.geocities.com/SoHo/Exhibit/2762
Zyll maps, if I ever bother:
http://home.earthlink.net/~schultza/zyll/zyll.htm
================================
OUTLINE
1. INTRODUCTION
1-1. ABOUT ZYLL AND THIS GAME AND GUIDE
1-2. ABOUT YOUR CHARACTER CHOICE, AND STARTING OUT
2. CONTROLS
3. OTHER STUFF
3-1. ITEMS AND RANDOMIZATION
3-2. MONSTERS
3-3. BOATS
4. POINT SCORING
5. BIG PICTURE MAP
6. IN DEPTH MAPS
6-1. OUTSIDE CASTLE
6-2. CASTLE
6-3. CASTLE L2
6-4. BELOW CASTLE
6-5. MINES
6-6. CATACOMBS
6-7. CAVERNS
6-8. BOATY AREA
7. WALKTHROUGH
8. SAVED GAME STUFF
9. TWO PLAYER STRATEGY
10. DATA STORAGE INFORMATION
11. VERSIONS
12. CREDITS
================================
1. INTRODUCTION
1-1. ABOUT ZYLL AND THIS GAME AND GUIDE
I never really considered a guide for this game until I noticed that a
student's website at Michigan State with maps for Zyll had gone down,
and I realized I wanted to do a guide for every letter in the alphabet.
Nothing else seemed remotely approachable, and since I enjoyed looking
at it but that was a couple of years ago, so I thought I'd whip up
something to help reticent adventurers in its place. It's not an easy
game, but it has that Zorkish feel.
the-underdogs.org should have this game--I believe the copyright has
expired--and it's a pretty small download with just zyll.exe and
zyll.dat.
One thing you need to note, though; switching from the Zyll window on
Win98 seems to reset the system timer to 12:00 AM. But not on 2000.
1-2. ABOUT YOUR CHARACTER CHOICE, AND STARTING OUT
Character choice doesn't have any terribly visible effect on what you
do although I suspect the warrior can carry more than the wizard, and
the thief is better at picking locks. But the wizard can read more
scrolls.
In two player mode both players can choose whatever they want, but
they can't attack each other.
2. CONTROLS
Controlling your character isn't too bad once you get the hang of it.
You'll want to remember the main moves, of course, and also you should
note that valid moves are put in green. For one player, they are below.
F1-F2 = move north
F1-F4 = move west
F1-F6 = move east
F1-F8 = move south
(in the dark, F1 tends to make you move randomly.)
F2 = look
F3 = drop item
F4 = take item
F5 = inventory
F6 = attack. This takes about three dots of time.
F7 = cast spell
F8 = status(i.e. health)
F10-F1 = ready weapon. You'll want to do this right away, and it's also
the way to ready a shield--the game isn't 100% clear here.
F10-F2 = throw(?)
F10-F3 = eat/drink(potion)
F10-F4 = light(torches)
F10-F5 = read (scrolls, etc.)
F10-F7 = search. This takes a while but if you know there's a secret
passage it's a great idea.
F10-F8 = hide object. To take later.
F10-F10 = score
At a door, you have the choice of F7(forward,) F8(backward) and F1/F3
to open/unlock and F2 to lock, which is more useful in 2-player games.
For the second player it's a bit tricker, and if someone has gotten
used to being player #1 then it's a bit of a handicap to move around.
Here's how the keyboard is formed and what it turns into:
7 8 9 F1 F2 F3
4 5 6 /== F4 F5 F6
1 2 3 ==/ F7 F8 F9
. F10
3. OTHER STUFF
3-1. ITEMS AND RANDOMIZATION
Utilitarian items:
Plate mail: you can start the game out with this.
Chain mail: you can start the game out with this.
Mace: you can start the game out with this.
Warhammer: you can start the game out with this.
Large shield: you can start the game out with this.
Small shield: you can start the game out with this.
Shiny key:
Black key:
? key:
? key:
Potions:
Blue potion: you can start the game out with this. It increases your
strength.
Scrolls:
--pick lock scroll
--find hidden objects scroll
--powerful scroll that lets you learn all spells
Valuable items:
Treasure | Points | (Weight?) Location
-------------+---------+----------
Sceptre | ? |
Brooch | 45 |
Magic shield | 123 |
Pendant | 125? |
Marble urn | 25 | Catacombs, enter
Orb of Zyll | 33 |
Gold coins | 30 | Mines, wide area
Brass lamp | 20 | Edge of cliff
Rusty broadsword becomes broadsword.
3-2. MONSTERS
None of the monsters are particularly dangerous(except demon
rats...eegh) provided you have weapons and armor ready, and they all
give about the same experience. There seem to be a few of each type.
name | experience
-------------+-----------
Demon Rat | 24
Giant Lizard | 25
Troll | 28
Dwarf | 29
Sea Monster | 32
There may be different looking dwarves but they're all the same in
experience points.
3-3. BOATS
Boats are important to smooth transport. There is a red and a blue
one. They appear at various locations each game, but there are several
docks leading to the water part where they may stay.
4. POINT SCORING
--you get one point for each new room you visit.
--experience is listed for the monsters in 3-2.
--items give from 23 to 123 points(for the artifacts.) You only get
points if one is in the royal chamber or in your possession.
--points on completing the game with the orb: 1200(?)
5. BIG PICTURE MAP
Castle L2
|
Castle----------+
| |
Below Castle |
| Outside Castle
Boaty area---Caverns |
| |
Catacombs |
| |
Mines----------+
Note there are two ways to get to a place--even the Boaty Area and
castle level 2, which appear to be dead ends, have multiple ways back to
the next big area and many internal loops.
6. IN DEPTH MAPS
6-1. OUTSIDE CASTLE
*
1--2--3--4--5--6--7
| | | | | | |
| | | | | | |
8--9--10-11-12-13-14-15
| * | | | |
| | | | |
15 17-18-19-20
| | | |
| | | |
(21)22-23-24-25-26-27
| | | | | |
| | | | | |
28-29-30-31-32-33-34
| | | | | |
| | | | | |
35-36-37-38-39-40(41)-42
1: dense undergrowth
2: field, with ladder down to well
21: Iron gate(inside castle)
27: Edge of cliff(black key)
28: SW corner of castle
29: road
30: wide section of road
31-32: section of road
42: small rocky ledge. Brass lamp here provides light for the mines to
the west. (6-5)
6-2. CASTLE
*
1 2
| |
| | *
3 4--5--6--7--8
| | |
| | |
(a) 9--10----11-t
| | | |
| * | |* |
12-13-14-15-16-17 18
| | | | |
| | | |* |* *
19-20-21 22-23-24-25-26
|
|
(27)
6-3. CASTLE L2
* *
t--1-----2--3-----4
| |
| |
| 5 |
| | |
| | |
6-----7--8-----9
| | | |
| | | |
| 10 | 11
| | :
| |* :
12-13-14 15 :
| | :
| |* :
16-------17-18-19
| |
| * |
20 21
2: there are staurs up and down here. In fact you can go up two levels
to what seems to be the top of the tower...but if you search there
you'll find another secret passage!
3: balcony, stairs down
4: see 2. Same logic. Note that above 2 and 4 can 'see' each other from
the descriptions.
6-4. BELOW CASTLE
1
|
|*
*--2--t
|
|
| 3 4
| | |
|* | |
5--6--7--8
|
* * |* *
9-----10----11----12-------13
| | | | |
| | | | |
14-15-16-17-18-19-20 21-22-23-24-25
| | | | | |
| | | | * | |
+-----26 27 28 29 30
6-5. MINES
*
1 2
| |
| |
3 4--5
| |
| |
6--7--8--9--10
| | |
| | |
11 12 13-(14)
| | |
| | |
15 16-17
|
|
18
1: stairs up to catacombs
5: wide area(gold coins for 30 pts)
7: narrow section. Faded scroll
14: ledge with brass lamp, outside area
6-6. CATACOMBS
! 9
| ^
| |
1--2--3
| |
| |
4-----5-+-+
| | | |
| | | |
6 | +-7-+
| | |
| | |
+-----8-----9->2
1: north is to the caverns proper
5: has marble urn(treasure)
8: has frayed scroll
Description is sparse here whch adds to the maze's challenge. To map it
by yourself, be ready to have lots of items to drop in various locations
or note which ways the exits are.
6-7. CAVERNS
!--1--2--+
| |
| | *
| 3--4--5--+ +--+ t
| | | | | |
+-----+ | | | |
6--7--8--9--10-11
| |
| |
12 13
|
|
!--14-15
|
|
+--16
|
|
! 17-+ +--+
| | | |
27-+ | | |
| | 18 +--21-+
! | | |
| | |
26-+ 23-22-19-20
| |
| |
25-24--+
6-8. BOATY AREA
+-----1--2--3--4
| | |
| | |
5-----6--7--8--9--10
| | |
| | |
| +--12 | 13
| | |
| | |
| +--14 |
| | | |
| | | |
15----16 | 17
| | |
| | |
| | 18-19
| | |
| | |
20-------21----22--+
| |
| |
| 26 27--28
| | |
| | |
23-24-25 29
7. WALKTHROUGH
8. SAVED GAME STUFF
Items never shift around in saved games, so these can help you get
your bearings.
Saved game A(?)
Saved game C puts all the items in one area. Here you'll be able to
bring the orb out to win the game or just be able to search at your
leisure unhindered by locks.
9. TWO PLAYER STRATEGY
The maps for Zyll aren't too bad to figure out as long as you're
willing to take several trips through. However there are cases where
reciprocal movement(E/W) doesn't land you at the same spot.
The notation I'll use here puts the rooms as numbers and puts details
below. I still haven't put down which doors are where but they will be
indicated by something other than | or - next to the appropriate room.
10. DATA STORAGE INFORMATION
Zyll.dat contains most of the items, item descriptions, rooms, room
descriptions and monster stuff. So you can pretty much poke through it
as a text file although you may wish to convert certain bytes to words:
E0 through FF are replaced by words. You can also find an item's weight
or a monster's experience by looking a few bytes behind the start of the
string, and you can find various spell strings.
There's also a good deal of duplicate data in the file. I don't know
why.
End of FAQ proper
================================
11. VERSIONS
0.4.0: submitted first draft to GameFAQs on 5/19/2003. It has maps and
little else.
12. CREDITS
www.the-underdogs.org for having this game.
The usual GameFAQs crew past and present.
