EXILE: ESCAPE FROM THE PIT 
  A fantasy role-playing game from Spiderweb Software

This text file contains a full description of Exile: Escape From the Pit 
and some troubleshooting information. If you have trouble installing or 
playing Exile: Escape From the Pit, look below.

DESCRIPTION OF THE GAME:

Exile: Escape From the Pit
A Fantasy-Role Playing Game for Windows 3.1 and 95

 	Spiderweb Software proudly presents Exile: Escape From
the Pit, a new, full-length, fantasy role-playing shareware game for 
Windows. Exile features a huge, highly detailed world with 
many quests, scads of characters to interact with, and 
almost eighty towns and dungeons, scattered over an 
enormous world.

 	Exile has several overall game quests, of varying 
difficulty, each the size of a full game. If one doesn’t 
appeal to you, you can try another, or all of them! The 
game can be as linear and goal-driven as you want it to 
be. Exile also has a simple, elegant skill-based character 
system. No more character classes - you design characters 
who do exactly what you want them to do, with as much 
versatility as you want to put into them.

 	In addition, Exile has all the features game players have 
come to expect, including intricate graphics and sound, 
full auto-mapping, many, many puzzles, and, of course, 
the obligatory hordes of evil nasties just waiting to be 
robbed and butchered. Finally, the first full half of the 
game is free, with full functionality!

The story:

"exile n. 1. Enforced removal from one's native country. 
2. The state or circumstance of being in Exile."

        Above ground, there is only one nation: The Empire. 
That's all it's called. What need is there for fancy names 
when there's really only one game in town? The Empire 
maintains order at all costs. Misfits, magical creatures, and 
petty criminals of all sorts are unwanted, and the Empire has 
one tried and true way of disposing of them...

        They are sent through a one-way teleporter into the 
Underworld. And, alas,  you have had the bad luck to be 
considered misfits.

        There are hundreds of miles of twisting tunnels and 
enormous caverns under the surface world, filled with 
creatures fantastic and mundane, all scrabbling for the same 
limited food and limited space. It is into this hostile, 
war-ravaged land that you are sent to find your fortune. Or 
just  try to survive.

Exile is $25 shareware. It requires Windows 3.1 or 95, 2 MB free RAM, 
256 colors, and a 13" monitor. The author is a member of the 
Association of Shareware Professionals (ASP). Exile is compatible 
with Windows 95. 
	Spiderweb Software
	PO Box 85659
	Seattle, WA 98145-1659
	Internet: SpidWeb@aol.com

TROUBLESHOOTING:

The information below should solve many of your problems installing
or running Exile: Escape From the Pit...

Question:  Exile: Escape From the Pit refuses to install!
Answer: First, make sure you have ten megabytes of free space on the 
drive you're trying to install too (the game takes up 5, but the 
installer needs a little extra space). Then reboot, make sure no other 
programs are running, and try installing Exile again. If this 
doesn't work, contact SpidWeb@aol.com.

Question:  Exile crashes sometimes for no reason!
Answer: Several steps to try, which will eliminate most problems.
1. Select Preferences from the Options menu. Select Fewer Sounds. If 
this doesn't help, turn off sounds. This will fix most problems.
2. Run Exile with no other programs running.
3. Make sure you have 2.5 megabytes of free RAM.

Question:  I get crashes when targeting a spell or missile, and nothing 
helps!
Answer: Select No Targeting Line from the Options menu.

Question:  The Exile screen is really tiny!
Answer: Go into Windows preferences, and select a monitor mode with a 
different resolution. 640x480 is recommended.

Question: The Exile screen colors are all bizarre!
Answer:  You need to play Exile in 256 color mode. Run Exile, hit F1 
(for help), and read the section on how to get 256 colors on your screen.

Question: When I run Exile, the colors of all my other running programs 
get strange!
Answer:  This is an unavoidable side effect of the way Windows handles 
color palettes. Exile requires control of all 256 available colors. If 
the color change makes the other program unusable, don't use it while 
playing Exile.

Question:  OK. I installed the game. It runs fine. It looks fine. But I
keep starving, if the monsters don't kill me first, and I don't have any 
gold!
Answer:  Read the Hints For Getting Started section near the end of the 
manual (hit F1 to get the manual).
