7 DAYS A SKEPTIC

By Ben 'Yahtzee' Croshaw

README
(7 Days A Skeptic is the sequel to 5 Days A Stranger. It is highly recommended t
hat you play through the original game first. It is available to download at htt
p://netmonkey.cellosoft.com/5days)
INSTALLATION
Unzip the contents of the .zip file to a new directory (eg c:\7days). Before run
ning the 7days.exe, run winsetup.exe to configure your computer.
BACKGROUND
Nearly four hundred years have passed since what became known as the DeFoe Manor
Incident, when an eccentric cat burglar known as Trilby brought an end to the r
eign of terror inflicted by a murderous wraith, the ghost of Sir Roderick DeFoe'
s abused, unwanted son. The incident is now remembered only by scholars of urban
myth, and the true facts of the case are lost behind endless conjecture and fic
tionalisation.
Mankind has moved on from mother Earth, and after the invention of warp technolo
gy, is fast mapping the universe one light year at a time. Due to a shortage of
materials, the Earth Federation instigates a new program to upgrade old and reti
red vessels. The Mephistopheles, a small ageing scouting craft, is the first shi
p to undergo the process. Crewed by a new compliment of 6 crewmen, she is assign
ed to map out the Caracus galaxy.
Just a few days into the assignment, the crew of the Mephistopheles discover an
unknown artefact floating unprotected in deep space: an ancient metal locker. Ig
noring advice from the Federation to leave it for a research vessel, the captain
brings it aboard and prepares to lift the lid...
CHARACTERS
Captain Barry Chahal
A decorated veteran of the Earth Federation Navy, dangerously close to retiremen
t age. Bitter at his superiors, Barry is somewhat disillusioned, but is eager to
appear as 'one of the boys' to his crew. He is notorious for his reckless tende
ncy to ignore regulations.
Commander Angela Garrett (First Officer)
An eminently qualified graduate of one of the Federation's top scientific academ
ies, Angela has a strictly logical approach to life, and was placed on this post
ing by the Navy to provide a sober influence for Captain Chahal. As it turns out
, Angela is somewhat sympathetic to the captain's viewpoint.
Ensign Serena Kyle (Helmsman)
A young recruit on her first assignment, Serena finished the bridge operations c
ourse at Ganymede University top of her class, and was snapped up for the Mephis
topheles. She has studied the Earth Federation regulations avidly, and simply ca
nnot be convinced that a ship can be run any other way.

Lieutenant Adam Gilkennie (Engineer)

Adam has been warned twice in the past for behaviour regarded as 'insolent' and
'unprofessional', but his skills as an engineer are highly attuned, and he knows
it. He sees himself as the ship's self-appointed 'clown', and takes every oppor
tunity to inject humour into a situation in the interests of morale.
Doctor William Taylor (Physician)
Another new recruit on his maiden voyage, William is a talented student of medic
ine but suffers from the usual anxiety that comes with a new job. He works hard
because he is terrified that he will make a hash of his first posting.
Doctor Jonathan Somerset (Counsellor)
A veteran ship's counsellor and licensed psychiatrist, Dr. Somerset has a great
understanding of human psychology and a deeply compassionate nature. It is to hi
m that all of the crew come for reassurance and conversation, and the captain va
lues his input.
CONTROLS
I've been experimenting with a lot of different interfaces in AGS and this is wh
at I've come up with. Left click to make your character walk around. When your c
ursor is over something you can interact with, it becomes a box, and the name of
the object appears. Right-clicking on it will open the inventory, and then you
just left-click on what you want to use. Right-clicking on an inventory item wil
l look at it.
To save and load a game or adjust the music and sound volume, move your mouse to
the top of the screen to bring up the menu.
Hotkeys:
F5: Save game
F7: Restore game
F9: Restart game
F12: Save screenshot
Ctrl-Q: Quit game
THE TERMINAL
Sometimes you may be called upon to use a computer terminal. In these instances,
just type a one-word command into the bar along the bottom, then click on 'OK'.
For a list of available commands, type 'help'.
AN IMPORTANT HINT:
It is possible in several situations to die in 7 Days A Skeptic, so I need hardl
y remind you to save often. And when you're in a dangerous environment, which sh
ould usually be quite obvious, PROCEED WITH EXTREME CAUTION. This is particularl
y important when on EVA outside the ship; failing to observe the proper safety p
recautions can have dire consequences.
Hopefully, I have screened all the bugs out of 7 Days, but if you're clever enou
gh to find one, email me on yahtzee@fullyramblomatic.com to give me a slap.

CREDITS
Artwork, programming, dialogue, story, characterisation and pretty much everythi
ng: Ben 'Yahtzee' Croshaw (http://www.fullyramblomatic.com)
AGS Engine by Chris Jones (www.agsforums.com)
Sound effects taken mostly from Half-Life
Playtesting by:
Manu Cardoen
Helmacron
Kevin Squires
Sarah Wright
THANKS TO:
All the playtesters - for their time and criticism
Valve - for not knowing about this
Phil Reed - for living the dream and keeping the faith
The AGS forum regulars - for not working out my false identity
The Brothers Redcloud - for the usual stuff
Bruce Campbell - for inspiring a generation