NEON SHADOWS — TUTORIAL

Phase I: The Missing AI · A TIFE parser adventure by Tronsoft Games

How to Begin

Launch the game from the Tronsoft Games library. You wake in Apartment 907 as emergency lights sweep New Avalon. Your first move: read the blinking wall terminal with READ MESSAGE, then pick up Mira's datapad with TAKE DATAPAD. The Quest Log on the left tracks what to do next.

Controls

Neon Shadows accepts typed commands and offers clickable buttons for every common action.

Method	How it works
Command line	Type a command and press `Enter`. `↑`/`↓` recall command history.
Exit buttons	The EXITS panel lists every direction leaving the current room. Click to move.
Command deck	Primary verbs (LOOK, TAKE, EXAMINE, USE, TALK, HACK, GO) plus context buttons generated from the room around you.
Utility row	JOURNAL, QUESTS, STATS, HINT, SAVE, RESTORE, TRANSCRIPT, HELP.

Core Commands

Command	Effect
`N S E W UP DOWN`	Move between rooms (also `GO NORTH` etc.).
`LOOK`	Redescribe the current room, visible items, and exits.
`EXAMINE thing`	Study an item or room feature (`X` works as shorthand).
`TAKE / DROP item`	Pick up or put down portable objects.
`READ thing`	Read messages, terminals, and recordings.
`USE item`	Apply an item where you stand — fuses, batteries, breakers, the decoder.
`HACK target`	Attack drones, scanners, and terminals through their weak points.
`TALK TO person`	Open a dialogue tree with an NPC.
`INVENTORY`	List carried items and credits (`I` for short).
`MAP`	Show the full world map; visited rooms are revealed.
`HINT`	Progressive guidance for the active quest — vague first, specific second.

Turn Order and Time

Neon Shadows is fully turn-based: the world only advances when you act. Each action costs one or more moves and advances the city clock shown in the top bar. There is no time limit and no way to make the game unwinnable — explore freely.

Movement

The city spans five districts: your tower, Rainline Avenue and Downtown, the Neon Market, the underground beneath it, and the hidden Helix facility. Some routes are gated — a security drone, a market scanner, a bouncer, a blast door, a quantum lock. Every gate has at least one solution using items, hacks, or conversations. The WORLD MAP panel fills in as you explore: ◆ marks your position, ○ marks visited rooms.

Scoring and Winning

Score comes from completing the seven story quests, worth 100 points in total:

Quest	Points
Ghost Message — read Mira's warning	5
Red Corridor — get past the drone to street level	10
Neon Gate — enter the Neon Market	10
Find Cipher — locate the hacker below the market	15
The Hidden Facility — breach the Helix checkpoint	15
Cold Start — restore generator power	15
The Missing AI — open the vault and take the ECHO shard	30

Taking the ECHO memory shard from the Data Vault completes Phase I and shows your final score, moves, and rooms visited. Five achievements reward exploration and clean play.

Losing Conditions

There are none. You cannot die, and no action locks you out of victory. Blocked paths report what they need; the HINT system will always point at the next step.

Stuck early? The drone in the hallway has a poorly shielded maintenance receiver — but only a runner who has read Mira's message knows enough to risk the intrusion.

Saving and Restarting

SAVE writes your full game — room, inventory, quests, journal, achievements, transcript — to one local slot in your browser. RESTORE opens the Save Manager to restore or delete it. Saves stay on this browser and device. RESTART begins a fresh run after an in-game confirmation.

Full systems reference: docs/manual.pdf · Tronsoft Games · 2026