Rock Star Ate My Hamster ======================== The Cecil Pitt Guide To Rock Management --------------------------------------- Hi there, Pop-Pickers! I'm Cecil Pitt: rock entrepreneur, creative genius, friend and confidante to the stars. No doubt you've heard of me. I've been a star-maker for some time now, and I'd like to share my inside knowledge of the "Rock Biz" with you in this article. Picking Your Stars ------------------ How many superstars can you manage? One may be cheaper and easier, but the more you have, the more popular you'll be - *Think big!* Should you go for the up-to-the-minute groovy pop megastars, or save money on boring old has-beens? It's really up to you, and what you can afford. As a general rule, cheaper stars are less popular, less talented, and most prone to petty fits of rage and jealousy. This is only a guide though; some of the nicest, most talented and hard working rock stars I've managed have been willing to work for only a few pounds a week. Remember, there's one born every minute. Get to know the stars, their talents and their moods. That way you can pick the members that suit your style of management best, and *go for it*! Making The Bread ---------------- OK, you've got the stars, you've got the management ability, but how are you going to get that record deal? Can the band play together? Get them to practise, listen to what they sound like, do they sound like an outsight happening chart phenomenon to you? Now it's time to build up their popularity. Record companies will only be interested in your band if they've got the *fans* who are willing to buy their latest records. Touring and publicity helps, of course, but choose your venues and ticket prices carefully if this is your band's first outing then they're unlikely to fill a stadium with tickets at £20. Don't push the band too hard either. Continued touring is great for building up income and skills, best give them a break now and again. Lavish gifts and affection on them: show them you *care*. Otherwise you might find them causing trouble, asking for unnecessary creative control, or worst of all threatening to leave! Which Record Deal? ------------------ If you're persistent, and can manage your income and stars successfully, it's inevitable that the record companies will start approaching you. *Think carefully* before you accept any deal though; is a better offer going to come along soon? On the other hand, don't be too choosy. Your band might not always be as popular, and that's the very time those tempting record offers will dry up. Going Platinum -------------- That's the name of the game isn't it? (Actually no, the game's called "Rock Star" - Ed). So get the best possible recording studio you can afford. And think carefully about naming the band's groovy songs. Now you've got a healthy stack of material to release, so plan your releases carefully. It's up to you whether you release a single or an album first, or hit the global marketplace with them both together. One thing's for sure - successful singles boost the sales of an LP, so try to get maximum exposure for your potential toe-tapping chart-toppers. Make a video whenever you can, but choose your directors, locations, and contents carefully. Then, who knows? Instant mega-stardom, or terminal oblivion down the annals of history? It all depends on *you*; your skills, your decisions, your mistakes. And there'll be more to deal with as well: sponsors, music pirates, taxman, the list goes on. Yes, it's hard work, and it often means firing your best friends, or telling them things they don't want to hear. It's a dirty job, but somebody's got to do it. The rewards are there for the taking though, collecting those 4 silver discs, watching your band climb the steep slopes of commercial success, counting the money as it flows in. And who could be better informed than you right now, thanks to my immense generosity in sharing my vast knowledge of the "Rock Biz" with you, in this Cecil Pitt Guide. So, what are you waiting for? Go grab your slice of glory now - The Cecil Pitt way! Go for it! Cecil Pitt (C) Cecil Pitt Worldwide Enterprises Ltd Some Of The Megastars Featuring In This Game -------------------------------------------- Michael Gorge * Tina Turnoff * Meathead * Stiff Pilchard And loads more including Dross, Scratch 'n' Sniff, Lummie, Bill Collins, String, Sidney Sparkle, Titchie Blackhead, Dorrissey, Annie Smallpox and over 35 others! ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- | Ever wanted to make it big? Here's your chance! | | Choose your stars, make all the decisions and try to hit the big time! | | | | BIDET Shoot stunning videos - Hollywood or Cricklewood? Will you use an | | expensive director like Cecil Bidet-Mills, or your trusty sidekick Clive? | | Do you go out on the road or lock the band up in the Studio? | | | | THE BIZ The first big break, the elusive "deal" - will you be offered a | | recording contract? Can you compete in the charts with megabands like The | | Boring Old Gits From The '60s? When do you release the follow up single? | | Will your album go platinum? Is your act a one hit wonder? | | | | GRABBED! Don't get sued, ripped off, busted, pirated, bankrupted, | | extorted, embarrassed, exposed or grabbed by the tax men! | | It's a hard life in the management game . . . | ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- ------------------------------------------------------------------------- | This game and its associated packaging is a work of fiction. Any | | similarity between the characters and events portrayed in this game | | and real persons and events is meant only in a humorous way, and does | | not necessarily relate to fact. We hope that you enjoy the game. | ------------------------------------------------------------------------- Game Credits ------------ Brought to you by... Game Design & Coding: Colin Jones Directed by: Richard Darling & Colin Jones Audio Drivers: Paul Hiley & TAG Computer Games Visual Effects: Chris Graham Production: Mike Clark, Stew Regan & Richard Darling Package Design: Nigel Fletcher Illustructions: Alistair Graham The Stun was an unfortunate accident by... Editor: Mike Clark Hacks: Mel Croucher, Robin Evans, Colin Jones, Richard Darling & Mike Clark Production: Stew Regan Please address all monetary gifts, offers of cushy jobs and correspondence from delightful young ladies (a photo is a must) the The Editor, THE STUN, PO box 6, SOUTHAM, Warwickshire CV33 0SH. Reluctantly published by the CodeMasters Software Company Ltd., PO Box 6, Southam, Warwickshire, England CV33 0SH. Uncle Cecil's Loading Instructions ---------------------------------- Somewhere amongst all the super-hip outasight goodies enclosed in this bright shiny box, you should find, *at no extra cost to yourself*, what we in the business call a 'computer game'. This miracle of modern technology will enable you to experience the thrill packed world of the "Rock Biz" without straying from the comfort of your favourite armchair. All you have to do is match your groovy happening Rockstar game with a suitable computer and follow the simple instructions below. Cassette -------- In all cases, insert and rewind the GAME cassette before following these instructions: SPECTRUM 48K users type LOAD" " press ENTER 128K users press ENTER AMSTRAD 664/6128 users type |TAPE press ENTER then type RUN" press ENTER 464 users type RUN" then press ENTER C64/128 C128 users select C64 mode Type LOAD press RETURN Disks ----- SPECTRUM Turn computer on, insert disk, press ENTER AMSTRAD Type RUN"ROCKSTAR then press ENTER C64/128 C128 users select C64 mode Type LOAD"*",8,1 press RETURN ATARI ST Insert the disk, turn the computer on AMIGA At the 'Insert Workbench' screen, insert the Rockstar disk PC Boot DOS from your system disk. At the A> prompt insert the Rockstar disk, type ROCKSTAR and press ENTER Other Formats ZX81 You'll need a small add-on for the game to work properly. Go to your nearest computer dealer and ask for a 'ZX Spectrum'. Unpack and test it, then follow the instructions Cassette: Spectrum above. MSX Buy yourself a Spectrum, Commodore 64, Atari ST etc. CRAY IIXMP Load and run your 'Spectrum emulator' program, then follow the Spectrum instructions above. HAL 9000 Engage Hal in musical conversation. Ask if he's heard of the game "Rockstar". At this point, HAL may go into Spectrum emulation mode (instructions above) or instead hum the entire score of Tubular Bells, which is only marginally less interesting. IBM SERIES 34 Have your operator mount the Rockstar punched cards in the feed hopper, then ask him to load them during the next free time slice. We are sorry if you own an abacus - due to the present state of the market we feel that we can no longer convert games to this format economically.