Hard Time III v1.0.2 Instruction Manual Mat@MDickie.

com

The toughest prison sim in the yard is back to serve its 3rd consecutive sentence -
combining classic moments from the OG with the best aspects of 2D,
while putting out a few hits of its own!

Controllers
Any controller could be connected to a PC, so it’s important to help the game distinguish
between Xbox and Playstation button maps. This screen appears automatically when you
boot up with a controller for the first time, and your preferences will be saved, but you
can always seek it out manually in the “Controls” options (or by simply pressing the C
key at the titles). For best results, please ensure any controllers are connected
BEFORE launching the program. Also note that Windows 10 is assumed, so drivers
older than Xbox One may not be recognized. You can use the “Calibration” option to map
the buttons for any controller that isn’t automatically recognized.

Menus
Any device with touch-screen or a mouse can instantly access any option, pressing either
side to change its value where possible. When using a controller, it is the directions that
highlight an option and the or buttons change its value, with used to go back in
most situations (although this command may be reversed on Switch!). You can
instantly reset any value by pressing either thumbstick as a button, or by clicking the
middle mouse button. On screens with multiple tabs or categories, use the L or R
shoulder buttons to browse through those. At the character selection screen, the left or
right triggers can be used to browse pages while the shoulder buttons change
categories. Upon using a controller on PC menus, the mouse cursor will be hidden until
you click to reclaim it. The control method you use to proceed will continue to be
used in the game itself, so only click through on PC if it is your intention to use
keys!
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Fight Scenes
Upon proving you can complete a sentence properly, you gain access to a special “Fight
Scene” mode – where you decide WHO fights WHERE and with WHAT! Here there are
some additional commands to be aware of. At the “Cast” screen, the + icon (or
button) will add a random character to the scene whereas the - icon (or back button) will
remove one. Tapping a character will allow you to replace them with another of your
choice, whereas holding the command with a direction allows you to reposition them.
Under “team” rules, placing characters either side of the centre separates them into rival
factions (i.e. cops vs criminals) – otherwise individuals fight for themselves in their
default role. Combatants are eliminated when killed, knocked unconscious, or forced to
submit from a hold. When you are ready to proceed at the “Play” screen, each controller
can now use their directions to choose a character and press any button (except back) to
commit to them (or click them directly). While there is still time, pressing the back
button will cancel this choice, or opt out of the game entirely if pressed again.
Controllers may still join a game once it has started by pressing the + button to opt in.
They will then be randomly assigned a character which they can change by holding one
shoulder trigger while pressing the other. Eliminated players will get to control somebody
else left in the fight wherever possible.

Editing
Upon proving you can complete a sentence legitimately, you also unlock access to an
inbuilt “Editor” where you can save your changes to every character in the city to make
it your own! This occurs in a more limited form at the beginning of each game, or by
accessing wardrobes, mirrors, or hairdryers wherever they appear during the game.
Each character has 3 separate outfits – so make sure you are editing the intended one
by selecting it first from the “Costumes” home page. You can always return to a tab’s
home page by selecting the tab again (or pressing the back button). If one costume
Hard Time III v1.0.2 Instruction Manual [email protected]

should resemble another, you can clone the existing one by holding over the
corresponding arrow (or either shoulder trigger). You can even copy entire outfits over
from other characters via the “Cloning” tab. Unique looks are achieved by combining
different “Flesh” layers with different “Material” choices and other accessories layered
over those. This can be fiddly at first, but ultimately allows for the most creative
freedom. Wherever you see a colour palette, navigating to the left (or clicking it directly)
will change the RGB values of the last layer you interacted with. To make multiple
changes more quickly, you can “Copy” and “Paste” the same colour by pressing those
commands (or the left/right shoulder triggers respectively). Please note that any
changes you make to prison colours may be overridden by the colour of their
block. To inspect your changes, you can swipe the model directly or use the right stick
to rotate them.

Universes
The game’s hundreds of characters are liable to get jumbled up over time, in which case
you can head to the “Universe” options to restore the defaults or a backed up universe of
your own. It is better to get in the habit of doing this in between saved games to
prevent any unintended consequences, as the active star character will not be
affected by any changes around them. Note that you must press these options
TWICE to avoid doing so by accident! Don’t worry about losing any characters you have
unlocked, as this will be preserved separately along with any other achievements.

Save Data
If you’d like to back-up your data across different installations (or even different
devices!), the “Save.bytes” file may be accessible on sufficiently open platforms:
PC: [User]\AppData\LocalLow\MDickie\Old School\Save.bytes
Android: InternalStorage/Android/data/com.MDickie.OldSchool /files/Save.bytes
Switch: Hard Time III / Data Management / Transfer Your Save Data

Resolutions
The game is designed to start fullscreen and high resolution by default, but you can
switch to windowed mode at any moment by pressing CTRL + W (as well as the
standard ALT + ENTER). Please note that resizing the window in real-time may
have undesirable results, so consider exiting the current screen at the nearest
opportunity (or restart the game entirely). After resizing the window, going
fullscreen again will use that resolution – which may improve performance on lower
specs.
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Controls
The game will explain many commands as you progress, but the basic controls are as
follows for most controllers:

LEFT STICK = Movement (double tap to dash)

LEFT STICK BUTTON = Kneel > Sit > Sleep (or dismount steed)

= Attack (on its own to aim low, with a direction to aim high).

= Grapple / Release / Dismount steed

= Run (without a direction to charge ahead, double-tap to jump)

= Pick-Up / Drop (with a direction to throw, hold to lift overhead)

RIGHT STICK = Interact with props/scenery, initiate conversations (arrest in a grapple)

RIGHT STICK BUTTON = Swap hands
SHOULDER BUTTONS = Switch focus (once with a direction to find nearest, repeatedly
to browse all, hold to disengage)
SHOULDER TRIGGERS = Hold one to identify yourself in multiplayer and press the
other to control a different character
START / SELECT = Pause
D-PAD = Adjust camera
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Keyboard
If no controllers are connected, the keyboard is available as a last resort:
CURSORS = Movement (double tap to dash)
A = Attack (on its own to aim low, with a direction to aim high).
S = Grapple / Release / Dismount steed
Z = Run (without a direction to charge ahead, double-tap to jump)
X = Pick-Up / Drop (with a direction to throw, hold to lift overhead)
SPACE = Interact with props/scenery, initiate conversations (arrest in a grapple)
SHIFT / CTRL = Switch focus (once with a direction to find nearest, repeatedly to
browse all, hold to disengage)
TAB = Kneel > Sit > Sleep (Control a different character where possible)
P = Pause
ESC = Quit / Skip
CTRL + W = Toggle windowed mode
MOUSE = Adjust camera while clicking in the centre of the screen

Combinations
- Press ATTACK + RUN together to launch a powerful attack.
- Retreat from an opponent to increase your chances of blocking.
- Hold RUN while carrying furniture to avoid turning with it.
- Hold the PICK-UP command to try to lift furniture over your head if you’re strong
enough!
- Hold RUN + PICK-UP together to combine objects (including reloading).
- Hold TAUNT + PICK-UP to deliberately set fire to a small object.

Grappling
- Press GRAPPLE again without a direction to release a hold (or with a direction to send
them running that way!).
- Press the ATTACK, RUN or PICK-UP commands with any direction (or none) to execute
the corresponding move from the character's move set.
- Continue to use directions to move or turn wherever possible.
- Hold the ATTACK command upon impact to transition into another hold wherever
possible.
- Further transitions occur based on the "Skill" levels or size difference of those involved,
and the direction each is struggling in. In some situations, each person may be able to
continue throwing strikes with the ATTACK command.
- Holding the GRAPPLE command during an incoming attack makes it more likely that it
will be parried or countered.
- Hold GRAPPLE while on the ground to increase the chances of instantly rising up into a
move!
Hard Time III v1.0.2 Instruction Manual [email protected]

- Use the FOCUS command in a grapple with or without a direction to change your
position (such as turning from front to back or vice versa).
- Use the TAUNT command to apply a hold wherever possible (then continue to hold it to
arrest or interrogate the victim).

Shooting
This game introduces shooting for the first time in 3D. Like striking from a distance,
simply holding the ATTACK command will begin to aim and releasing it will fire a round
with relative accuracy. Some weapons such as a machine gun or flamethrower will fire
continuously instead of using the hold & release method. If you were holding a direction
BEFORE you begin you shooting, you will continue to move while shooting (with less
accuracy). If you take a moment to stand still BEFORE shooting, you can then use the
directions to fine-tune your aim. Notice that you can also fire weapons while sitting
down, etc. By default aiming assumes that up is up and down is down, but this can be
reversed in the Options – along with the camera looming closer over your shoulder to
“assist”. In most cases, simply focusing on an opponent and firing will automatically
have the desired results. It is not my intention to make a whole other FPS game where
shooting is perfected by a crosshair. Instead, the game favours a “naturalistic” system
that allows you to fire at ANY moment – so don’t forget to keep pulling the trigger
whenever you need to, and beware of enemies that have not been disarmed! Each
weapon has a limited amount of ammo, but the crafting system allows you to reload if
you can find any relevant objects. You’ve only ever run out of ammo when you’ve run
out of ideas!

Adrenaline
The thinner yellow meter under a character’s health indicates their mental health. When
this is filled by positive experiences they may enjoy an “adrenaline rush” – where they
temporarily become 10% stronger in every respect, and any move they trigger will
either be a special move or a stronger version of an existing move (such as a hold or
attack). Inversely, if your spirit is exhausted your character will have a nervous
breakdown where you literally “lose control” of them!
Hard Time III v1.0.2 Instruction Manual [email protected]

Multiplayer
Other controllers can join the action at any moment by pressing the START button to
opt in! They will then be randomly assigned a character on the scene, which they can
identify by holding one shoulder trigger before pressing the other to change. If they are
an ally they will follow the star to the next location, whereas rivals will spawn at a
distance. The assigned characters will remain until they disconnect or you exit
to the titles.

Camera
To make the most of this 3D experience, you may need to fine tune the camera to your
liking. You can access these options at any time via the in-game pause menu by
pressing your controller’s START button, the P key, or simply touching the clock itself.
You can also adjust the camera in real-time by clicking in the centre of the screen with a
mouse, or pinching/swiping the centre of touch screens. By default, the main game
mode is focused only on the star. You can disengage from looking at other people by
repeatedly walking away from them. Multiplayers who feel overlooked can identify
themselves by holding either shoulder trigger, or have the scope changed to include
them at all times. Paying customers can unlock additional camera privileges such
as a special “Smooth” 60fps speed and colour settings that can be faded to
resemble CCTV footage!
Hard Time III v1.0.2 Instruction Manual [email protected]

Schedule
This game takes place in seamless real-time, challenging you to take responsibility for
every minute of every day – from the moment you wake up in your own cell to the
moment you make your own way back to it! This tends to be 8am to 8pm, but wardens
reserve the right to adjust the schedule – as well as which cell or block you belong in.
You are not expected to sleep outside of these hours, and will be nagged into getting out
of your cell and on with your day. Upon serving every day of your sentence, you will be
escorted back to civilian life – but even this can go up or down depending on your
behaviour. You can save your progress by exiting to the titles at any quiet moment,
otherwise there will be regular saves in between scenes.

Health
Your green health meter is gradually drained throughout the day – especially if you
choose to run everywhere instead of walking! The longer your health has been low, the
harder it is to restore fully – but eating & drinking can restore energy in small chunks.
Getting a good night’s sleep on a comfortable bed is the most reliable way to restore
health, and also a good way of passing the time if you want to fast forward through
uneventful periods. You can try to sleep at any time by pressing the left stick as a
button, the TAB key, or tapping the health meter. As in real life, it is difficult to sleep if
you are full of energy – so spending it in order to sleep should be part of your routine.
Many activities and forms of exercise literally spend your health and turn it into
improved attributes. Other vices such as cigarettes & alcohol can also turn your good
health into good spirits, with an additional risk of becoming sicker than you intended!
Upon losing your health entirely, you will collapse onto the floor and fight to regain
consciousness. If you are not lucky enough to do so, you may wake up injured in a
hospital – otherwise your life could end entirely. You can also choose to go to the
hospital to seek other health benefits – such as surgery to heal injuries or therapy to
boost attributes.
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Attributes
Each character consists of the following physical attributes, which are only as good as
their health and could be up to 25% weaker when tired:
- Reputation is how respected (or feared) you are by others and influences how likely
you are to get your own way with them. Accomplishing tasks or winning fights will
improve your reputation, whereas failing or being subordinate will damage it.
- Strength determines how much your attacks hurt and how easily you can perform
power moves. A certain level of strength may also be required to lift heavy objects. It
can be trained by lifting weights.
- Skill determines how quickly and easily you can accomplish tasks such as crafting or
countering moves in combat. It is improved by mastering tricky activities such as sports
or instruments.
- Agility influences how fast you move, how quickly you climb, and how far you can
jump. It also determines your ability to execute or counter acrobatic moves without
stumbling. It can be improved by climbing, gymnastics on the mats, or running laps
around the gym/yard.
- Stamina determines how quickly your health goes down throughout the day and how
much is recovered by sleeping. It can be trained by running laps in the gym/yard or
swimming in the pool.
- Attitude is a more positive version of your “reputation” for doing the right thing or
not. Accomplishing tasks and co-operating will improve your attitude, whereas letting
people down or being disagreeable will damage it.

Conversations
Other people will regularly engage you in conversation to either remark or ask you a
question, where you typically choose a positive or negative response. To do this, you
simply tap the line of dialogue you wish to use or highlight it with a direction and press
the relevant button. In multiple choice situations, you can also press either side of the
dialogue to change it before committing. Instead of waiting for the drama to come to
you, you can initiate some conversations yourself by looking at someone and gesturing
towards them! If you bother people too much it will damage your attitude, and being
rejected will damage your reputation – so it’s like a currency that you spend to get your
own way. A more aggressive approach is grabbing someone and then holding the
command – where intimidating characters are more likely to get their own way at the
expense of the relationship. In the case of police officers, this is how arrests are made.
Hard Time III v1.0.2 Instruction Manual [email protected]

Relationships
Harming people or disobeying them will turn them into enemies, whereas being
agreeable and co-operative allows friendships to develop. Every time you please
someone, the relationship also has a chance to become romantic – with hugs & kisses
that bring health & happiness to every interaction (so long as you’re not witnessed by
somebody else who might be jealous!). You can also seek these relationships through
successful dialogue. Allies are key to surviving fights, as they will rush to your aid if they
can see clearly enough. For this reason, it is equally important to know if somebody is
well-connected before you start a fight with them. Gangs are especially defensive and
loyal. Becoming part of one offers enhanced protection, but also requires your unfailingly
loyalty when asked to do something. You can attempt to start and expand your own
gang via the dialogue system – at which point you can then head to a wardrobe to
choose a name and other details such as a unique greeting!

Crime & Punishment

There are dozens of crimes that you can be accused of if they are witnessed by an officer
(or an especially vindictive peer). Even if you think you got away with something, it may
only be a matter of time before the police build a case against you. These may escalate
from warnings and beatings to a full-blown arrest warrant where sirens blare and every
officer is alerted to hunt you down! Upon being arrested, your case is presented to a
judge who may or not agree with the charges. If you are convicted there are numerous
punishments to endure – from physical limitations to fines and sentencing.
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Finances
Inmates go into prison with a small amount of money to spend on daily necessities such
as cafeteria food. It is then possible to top up your credit by accomplishing tasks,
sweeping floors, painting art, fixing furniture, crafting objects, or trading possessions.
Prices are subsidised to keep them lower in prison than they would be in the outside
world. Upon being released, you may find that you are also charged with anything you
walk out of a store with! Working as a police officer is the most lucrative role in the city,
where you are paid for successful convictions and helping to solve other cases.

Fashion
You can spend money on costume changes by accessing a wardrobe wherever they
appear. The hairdryer is also a unique way to adjust your appearance on the move. In
prison, there are certain basic outfits that are designed to be painted the colour of the
prison block. Deviating from this too much will attract criticism from the wardens –
especially if you attempt to impersonate one! Otherwise, there are certain “fashions”
that you may want to keep up with to preserve your reputation. Every day, something
becomes fashionable or unfashionable so you may want to dress accordingly.

Forbidden Doors
You can try to access most doors by simply walking against them. For prisoners and
civilians, some doors may be inaccessible (unless you have a key!). Shared facilities
such as the hospital or courtroom only allow you to exit to the domain where you are
allowed to roam. Other venues may charge a small fee to let you in – such as the
various forms of transport that allow you to quickly access other locations. Upon being
released, there are a variety of places to call home and you will only be allowed through
that door on the street – so it’s important to pay attention to your address whenever
other people mention it! Until you are familiar with the city, look out for signs that
indicate where a door or path leads. You can also check your in-game map at any
moment or in between scenes. You may even discover secret shortcuts that aren’t on
any map! The city is still under construction and will be growing all the time…

Further Reading
There’s more to this game than I could ever explain here, so I hope you enjoy figuring
some things out for yourself! Or you can keep an eye on social media for more hints and
discussion:
Steam: https://steamcommunity.com/app/3009850/discussions/
YouTube: www.youtube.com/MDickieDotcom
Twitter: www.twitter.com/MDickieDotcom
Facebook: www.facebook.com/MDickieFans
Hard Time III v1.0.2 Instruction Manual [email protected]

Version History
v1.0.2
- New missions involve delivering furniture, smashing furniture, and gaining/losing
weight.
- Missions may ask that something be delivered to a specific cell.
- An extreme punishment involves having your limbs cut off!
- People with no legs are encouraged to go to hospital to restore them.
- Dying fades more gradually into the Hall Of Fame with melancholy music.
- Headless people are always assumed to be dead (and are properly eliminated from
fight scenes).
- Gun fatalities are correctly attributed to the shooter.
- Discovered dead bodies are less likely to result in your arrest unless they were
witnessed at the time.
- Deceased characters can no longer appear as jurors (and therefore no longer get
revived!).
- Only changing a character's role from "Deceased" restores their missing limbs in the
editor.
- The game no longer crashes when somebody wears multiple layers that could have
prison numbers written on them. Only the top layer qualifies while the underneath layer
can be painted any colour.
- Prison costume overrides can be previewed in the editor as soon as you navigate away
from the "Costumes" tab or change their home block.
- Abusing the wristband layer to access an upper arm sleeve still paints it the correct
prison colour.
- Hypocritical arrests are no longer criticized repeatedly.
- Wardens are less likely to be accused of "assaulting" or "robbing" a wanted criminal
(although it's not impossible to be accused of going too far).
- "Assault" charges are escalated to "Murder" if the victim dies later.
- Arresting officers no longer lose the weapons they were carrying after a court case.
- Detentions are longer and enforced more strictly, but detained prisoners aren't asked
to go anywhere else.
- Nobody knows where people in parts unknown ("Location 0") are when asked.
- You cannot spam sleep to fast-forward time when you're full of energy.
- It's forbidden to change your facial structure if you don't have hundreds of dollars to
pay for the surgery.
- Flying/falling over the prison lockers is more likely to land you back into the middle.
- Phones vibrate more to be visible from a distance.
- Wardens can be criticized for sleeping at work instead of at home!
- Computers can reveal info about other characters depending on the hacker's "Skill"
(especially if you are looking for them).
- Civilians that get stuck inside the prison (i.e. fired officers) are no longer prevented
from leaving (access is only blocked from the outside).
- Jumping (or stepping) into the police station windows no longer glitches through them.
- Looking at a prisoner helps to chase them out of a location (or into their cell) to lock it
down.
- New arcade cabinet design & picture art.
- Objects don't always return to the exact same place they were taken from.
- Rain is rendered properly on Android (and more efficiently on all other platforms).
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- Washing in a sink cleans all limbs instead of just the hands (but half as quickly as a
shower would).
- Restored the risk of a bad reaction to alcohol.
- Adrenaline rushes boost your health.
- Generated characters reset any lost limbs instead of inheriting them.
- Slight changes to the default characters (with more realistic ages).