Game Manual (1.x)
Foreword/Disclaimer
Speo 1.x is based on the RPG Maker 2003 engine, and due to its limitations, a number of things are unimplemented, or implemented differently than I would have chosen to do otherwise. These limitations may be resolved with the release of 2.0, which will use a custom engine, but this release will likely take some time (and if things go poorly, may not happen at all).
The internal code is... extremely messy, and to be frank, I'm a little ashamed to be showcasing it the way I am. But the game is fully editable if you own RPG Maker 2003, and you have my full permission to edit it if you should wish to (see the license).
Anyway, here's the rest of the background information you'll probably want to know about the game before you dive in.
Control binds
Speo is largely a three-button game. Well, four, if you count the movement inputs as being a button. Since these buttons come up so often, this manual is going to refer to them by their functional names:
[Confirm] Press enter/return, space, Z, Y, or the numpad's enter on the keyboard. On a DirectInput gamepad, you can press buttons 1 or 3. XInput gamepads have this mapped to A and X.
[Cancel] Keyboard users can press escape, X, C, V, B, N, or numpad 0. On a gamepad, push button 2 (DirectInput) or B (XInput).
[Special] On a keyboard, press shift. On a DirectInput gamepad, press button 4. For XInput gamepads, the Y button does the same. The shoulder buttons on either type of pad should also map to this function.
[Movement] Arrow keys, HJKL, or numpad arrow keys (2468) on your keyboard. On a gamepad, use the directional pad or left stick.
Controls (Lobby/Boss lair)
[Confirm] Uses an object or starts dialog. Press it while facing a boss spirit to start a fight against it.
[Cancel] Opens the game menu.
[Special] No function.
[Movement] Moves your party around the level.
Controls (Chasm)
[Confirm] Uses an object, starts dialog, or starts a fight. When you aren't facing anything usable, it skips your next step ("twiddle"), allowing monsters to move.
[Cancel] Opens the game menu.
[Special] Charges the Silver Flash when held down, which will stun all monsters when it fires.
[Movement] Moves your party around the level.
Controls (Menus/Combat)
[Confirm] Confirms a selection.
[Cancel] Declines a choice or exits a menu.
[Special] No function.
[Movement] Moves the selection cursor. Usually only up and down matter.
Controls (Misc/Playtesting)
The controls in this section are atypical and not gamepad-compatible. Entries in italics don't work unless you launch the game with the TestPlay argument (which will flag you as a cheater).
[F4] Switches between fullscreen and windowed mode.
[F5] Opens the video configuration window.
[F9] Opens the switch/variable debug menu.
[F10] Breaks out of any scripting that's currently executing. You may need to hold it down.
[F12] Kills the current game and returns you to the title menu without pausing for confirmation. (This can't be disabled in RPG Maker 2003. Sorry!)
[Shift] Skips text printing delay and fanfare pauses while held down.
[Control] Enables walking through walls and solid objects while held down.
The lobby
When you first create a new game in Speo, you'll be deposited in the lobby, on the Chasm exit square. Think of this as Chasm level 0; there's no monsters or chests here, just a pit stop for you to tweak things before you start your next expedition.
The dominant feature of the space is the help desk, manned by Vendroid, your automated concierge and volume-challenged Chasm Union liaison. You'll notice four stools behind the desk, along with some bits of decor lined up with them. These denote "activity stations", and if you press [Confirm] on the portion of the desk in front of them, you'll activate their function.
The first station, on the far left side of the desk, is recordkeeping. This is the most important station for you to visit after each run, as it lets you save your progress. Speo 1.x does not have autosave, so please don't forget to save your game every time you pass by here! In addition to letting you save, it also lets you review your lifetime stats and your high score.
Next, you'll see the configuration station. This station is essentially the game's options menu. Here, you can turn off nag messages or the twiddle warning sound, change the demeaning epithet Vendroid uses for you, rename your characters, enter a cheat code, toggle the game's music, or enable race mode.
Third from the left and second from the right, you have the party management station, which lets you add or remove party members. You can also force-unlock characters for 50BP each (which is gone forever!) if you're impatient with your progress and have found a good number of Crypt Coins in the Chasm.
Finally, to the right side of the desk, you have the outfitter station, where you can rent gear for your next run from Vendroid. You need to find at least one Crypt Coin before you can use it, though, since anything you pick up is charged to your BP balance, which is initially 0. Any BP you spend here, unlike at the party management station, is refunded when your expedition is over.
There's three more objects of interest here, which require only brief descriptions. First, if you're done playing the game and want to exit to your desktop quickly, you can walk out the door at the south end of the lobby (make sure you save first). Next is the book next to the northeast passage, which contains the game's credits. Finally, you have the staircase down to the Chasm itself, at the end of the passage near the credits book. When you're ready to play, descend!
The Awkward Chasm
After using the staircase in the lobby, you'll arrive at B1, the first level of the Chasm's first block. The Chasm is made up of 4 blocks, 25 levels each, the last of which is always a boss lair. While each block has different threats and a different look to it, they all share some common characteristics in the contents of their floors.
Specifically, in every non-boss floor of the Chasm, you can expect to see:
5 monster groups. If you and a monster touch, a fight will start. Defeat every monster group in a block for a score bonus. Make sure not to let these guys bump into your back or side, since they'll probably get a free turn when you enter combat. If you want to get the drop on them, try using your Silver Flash and engaging them when they're stunned. Defeating a monster group gives points based on the depth and difficulty of the group.
5 treasure chests. Different colors of chests contain different types of loot; brown has consumables, red has weapons, green has armor, purple has spells, and blue has a Crypt Coin and a Sealed Jar. The golden megachests in boss lairs contain 2 of every kind of treasure, save for the blue chest treasures. If you collect every single chest in a block, you'll get a score bonus. Opening a single chest of any color yields 10 points by itself. Not much, but hey, free loot on the side.
Vendroid. He may or may not appear, so keep your eyes open. If you have any Sealed Jars, he'll let you buy a variety of block-appropriate items from him; the longer you hold on to your Jars, the more they'll be worth, in essence (but don't hold on to them too long, or you may not get the chance to spend them!). If Vendroid is in his medic mode, the first heal is free, but the others will cost you.
Downward stairs. If you walk on top of them, you'll reach the next level, and win the one you're currently on. Go you!
Boss lairs
On floors 25, 50, 75, and 100, you'll enter a boss lair instead of a normal Chasm floor. These levels have a single monster and a single chest, both of which are vastly superior to the regular varieties of such. If you aren't in race mode, Vendroid will also be waiting for you near the exit. You should probably pay him a visit to heal up, whether or not you intend to fight the boss monster.
If you're not feeling confident about how your team is doing in combat, you can simply skip the lair entirely by making your way to the exit and walking out. Be aware, though, that you'll be missing out on a sizable point and EXP bonus, as well as a megaloot chest. Furthermore, there's a side bonus for completionists: if you've earned both the chest and monster block completion bonuses before collecting the boss' chest, you'll get a bonus Crypt Coin on top of them!
Bear in mind that if you do decide to take on the boss (with the exception of B100), the battle is to the death, and your expedition will be over if you die. Running away from a boss is not possible, so make sure you're ready to commit!
Combat
Combat works very similar to many other JRPG-type games. The objective is to reduce the enemy party's HP to zero by using your physical attacks and skills. If your party has their HP reduced to zero instead, you lose the current game and get teleported back to the lobby.
Different characters and monsters have different base speeds, which determines how fast their turns arrive, and how many they get compared to the other fighters. Turn progress is displayed for your party in the form of a series of slowly-filling gauges on the lower-right side of the screen. When full, the character a gauge belongs to can act. Some skills and items, like Blur, can alter the speed turns arrive at or even stop them from occurring altogether. Fighters that are stunned or asleep cannot act.
Some enemies, especially bosses, will require a little finesse to dispatch; either they'll be too tough to take out quickly, or they'll have special resistances or traits that will force you to change your approach. Expeditions into the chasm are long ones - try to conserve resources by being smart about how efficiently you fight.
Occasionally, you'll find weapons with an elemental or anti-monster attribute. These can be a great help against the creatures that are weak to them. For instance, insects hate the Bug Zapper, and few flying or swimming creatures tolerate electricity well.
Progression
Provided you're not in race mode, Speo will track your achievements as you play the game, and as you become more accomplished, you'll be given rewards in the form of new characters to experiment with. Most of the bonus characters are unlocked by accruing points in the Chasm, so just keep at it. Even if you don't make it to the end, those points aren't just vanishing into thin air!
Some characters require more specific actions in order for them to join you. Here's a breakdown of how to get every character, with a little color magic to hide the spoilers from those who don't want to see them (if you do, highlight the text):
Nari: Unlocked by default.
Dude: Unlocked by default.
Mahou: Unlocked by default.
Sylvi: Unlocked by default.
Meat: Play expeditions worth a total of 10000 points, win or lose.
Audius: Play expeditions worth a total of 20000 points, win or lose.
Fairy: Play expeditions worth a total of 30000 points, win or lose.
Reni: Play expeditions worth a total of 40000 points, win or lose.
Corvina: Play expeditions worth a total of 50000 points, win or lose.
Kron: Play expeditions worth a total of 100000 points, win or lose.
Bunny: Find her locked in a random brown chest. Her chest isn't guaranteed to appear.
Woogy XI: Attempt 10 expeditions without winning.
Urist: Complete a block without missing a single chest.
Bubbles: Reach B100 with your skin intact.
Any character can be recruited early at the party management station, provided you have 50BP (5 Crypt Coins' worth) to burn for them. If one's really giving you trouble, consider the option!
Reporting bugs
Make an account on https://bugs.bardcore.org/ and browse Speo's bugs to see if your issue has already been reported. If it hasn't, feel free to do the deed. Make sure you select Speo as the project you're reporting your bug to, since the Bardcore tracker handles a number of distinct pieces of software.
Please don't post requests for support on that site, it's purely for bug reports! If you get stuck, try reading your in-game handbook, experimenting, or even opening the game in RPG Maker 2003's editor, if you own it. With persistence comes comprehension.
If you've tried your hardest to figure something out and just can't, drop me a line at the email address that can be found on the license page. It might take me a while to respond, but I'll try my best to point you in the right direction.
By the same token as not requesting support on the bug tracker, though, please don't report bugs by email. Keeping them in one place helps me and my co-dev stop them from falling through the cracks.
Thanks!