Joseph's Story CD ...

This CD teaches all the major elements of the Joseph story in sequence. That's it's major objective. You'll want to bookend it with Bible Study and discussion. Several Bible studies are provided in the game, but you'll have to alert your students to stop at them and work on them.

Joseph's Story CD is a "video-game-style" 3D game. Your students navigate "Robin" the onscreen player from her dormroom to the ruins of Joseph's "Lost Palace" in Egypt. Robin progresses through a series of underground rooms and passageways which contain the Joseph story. There are obstacles and puzzles to solve. Joseph's story narrations provide the content. In some cases your students must listen carefully to the audio content in order to correctly navigate the game. At the end of her expedition Robin meets up with her Grandfather --Sir Dabney MacTavish -the leader of the dig. At that point the game itself is over, but there are additional learning/study materials Robin can go find. These include --a song with lyrics, interviews with 6 of the brothers, and a seven-question Bible study.

Of course, the premise of finding Joseph's "lost" palace is made-up. But the Bible does say he had a nice house and was second in-charge in Egypt. So for our purposes it was a palace. Joseph has left his story for future generation to discover. His palace ruins hold his secret.

Just added: A large printable map of all the areas in the game with key gaming suggestions. Prints on four pages, post in classroom during use.
www.sundaysoftware.com/joseph/Overview-Map.pdf

AT THE BEGINNING OF THE GAME.... Robin listens to the phone message in the dormroom, goes out the door, flys to Egypt, finds and flys the helicopter to the Dig Tent. After getting an H2Ozinator water cannon in the Dig Tent, Robin goes down the stairs into the ruins. From there the story unfolds sequentially. Example: in the first underground area Robin encounters a narration about Joseph's coat. In the next area she encounters Joseph's "wheat" and "stars & moon" dreams in order. You can't do it backwards. We do not force Robin (your students) to stay and listen to each narration. But we have designed the game play and graphics to encourage it! Left on their own kids will want to blast through to see what's at the end. Therefore, we suggest that a teacher/parent ASK students "WHAT DID THAT MEAN?" during the course of the game. Questions about game content can also be put on a handout which they must fill-in as they go through the game. This will help pace them and teach them. A sample handout is provided below.

This CD requires no previous knowledge of the story. However, this CD is not meant to be the "first and last word" on the story. We hope you have other learning experiences in store for teaching this large and important story.

One of the primary goals of THIS CD is to teach the scope & sequence of this long story (it fills over a dozen chapters of Genesis). We have compressed the story to fit one class-time, and allow for other activities and discussion. (On a related note: Regardless of the amount of time you have, students will still not fully appreciate the l-o-n-g period of years this story covers unless this issue is discussed. God takes God's time. Patience is certainly one of Joseph's virtues).

3rd graders and older -it should take them about 35 minutes to get Egypt and through the ruins. How fast the game plays depends on how familiar students are with 3D style gameplay and how much "extra" content they slow down and read. The basic story line cannot be bypassed in the game, but Bible studies "left behind by the Dig Crew" are optional. Having a teacher by the side will slow things down -which is good because it means they are talking about content!

It is HIGHLY recommended that you save your game as you play, so if you get stuck, you can pick up where you left off. It is also recommended that the teacher/lab assistant have mastered the game prior to using it with the students. Press ESC, then SAVE game. Use your arrow key to move to a slot, Press Enter to activate that slot; Type a name/label; then Press Enter to accept. Select Return to go back to the game.

Younger children love Joseph's Story CD but may have some trouble manipulating the keyboard to maneuver Robin through the ruins. They might get lost in the 3D maze (simply because their spatial senses are easily somewhat confused). They will need extra time. We recommend having older students available to help them. All the important content is NARRATED, and we have made an effort to keep complicated vocabulary to a minimum. For very young children, have them run the "go forward" arrow key while you control the left-right direction using the mouse. Some smaller children get afraid of Potiphar's guards or the Slavetraders. Nothing brutal, the kids just have wild imaginations. Help them through!

Strongly encourage your players NOT TO RUN through the prison and Pharaoh's maze. Instead, stand still and listen to the voice files before proceeding. If you RUN, you may trigger voice files on top of each other!

Joseph's Story CD isn't just point and click.... It is a 3D Game which we strongly recommend you preview thoroughly. In fact, if you have younger students, make sure they have PLENTY OF TIME to complete this journey. If you or your students are unfamiliar with this style of play, the game controls may take some getting used to! This style of game play, the perspective and the use of multiple controls is very similar to the most popular 3D style games on the market today. If you (the teacher/adult) are NOT familiar with the style, have a Jr. High preview the program with you. We have a player handout which references the keyboard commands and has some guidance. It can be printed from sundaysoftware.com/joseph/joetips.pdf Technical FAQs/solutions and additional gameplay answers can be found at www.sundaysoftware.com/joseph/joe-tech.htm

Creating a Lesson:
Joseph can be completed in one 45 minute session, if you have prepared and previewed, --or it can be used again/stretched over two or three class times. The story of Joseph begins to be told in the helicopter ride to the "Dig Tent." Listen carefully. Once in the Dig Tent, one of the computers has a short narrated "background presentation" which brings players up to speed on the basic story. In addition to basic story elements, we have put several "ponder points" dowin in the ruins which can be skipped if the students are in a hurry. These ponder points are: the first two wells in the Well Room, the Potiphar's Porch behind the swimming pool, and the song/study/interviews previously mentioned in the final "hall of reconciliation" (which is actually an above ground outdoor pillared area).

Suggestions for extending your discussion and use of the CD past one class period of use:

Week 1: Play the game and work through the song and Brother interviews if you have time.

Week 2: Play through the game again (it won't take them as long) and concentrate on Sir Dabney's Bible Study.

Week 3: Draw out the game's layout, place story elements where you remember them, then open to Genesis and walk through the story section by section (not reading every word) and ADD to your game layout "things in Genesis not in the game."

Additional "Extended Suggestions"
Show the TNT production of Joseph. It stars Ben Kingsley as Potiphar and is a wonderful version of the story. Visit www.rotation.org and look up Joseph in the free Lesson Exchange for more lesson ideas.

Here are the Main Story Elements in the Game:

The biblical story of Joseph spreads over a dozen chapters. In this CD, we have stuck to the main storyline (which unfolds after Robin gets to the Dig Tent):

COAT => DREAMS => REJECTION & WELL => POTIPHAR'S HOUSE => PHARAOH'S PRISON & CUPBEARER & BAKER => PHARAOH'S DREAM => JOSEPH'S BROTHERS IN EGYPT => THE CUP => THE RECONCILIATION

This CD does not go into Dinah, Judah, or Tammar. Frankly, they are a little difficult. For the sake of clarity and brevity the events of Joseph's life are "retold" by Joseph himself --as translated by the clever "Hiero-Translators" the dig crew has placed next to the "Joseph Hieroglyphics." It is essential that your students be able to hear these narrations, not only to learn, but in some case, to know what to do next in the game.

The CD's main "life application points" are these:

1. God has a plan for Joseph and for you, though we can't always see this plan, and the plan may take years to unfold and be understood.
2. Joseph's faith and honesty were examples to others.
3. Joseph had a gift which he shared with others. These others saw that Joseph was blessed by his God.
4. With time, people can change, and reconciliation is possible.
5. God is faithful through tough times and keeps his promised Covenant even when things look impossible.

In addition, Joseph narrates that his brothers were more concerned about their own position in the family than with what God was trying to tell them. The CD does not go into the issue of dreams, but we do suggest you discuss it with your students, vis-a-vis "how God talks to people."

We recommend reading background on Joseph in a Bible commentary. Joseph's story does not merely describe "how the Hebrews ended up in Egypt." It expands upon the theme of GOD'S FAITHFULNESS even in seemingly impossible circumstances. God has a plan to deliver the message of his Covenant to the world, and he must first deliver it through the family of Abraham (which isn't always easy). One of the things you will want to teach is "where in biblical time" is this story happening. The computer presentation in the Dig Tent touches on this.

IMPORTANT GAME CONTROL & PLAY NOTES:

F1 Key pulls up the Navigational Help panel throughout the game.
Esc gets you the Menu. You can Save/Load games from there.
Arrows moves Robin.
PageUp/Down or Mouse moves Robin's view or the aim of the H20zinator.
Hold Shift +Arrow to make Robin run faster.
Spacebar opens doors (if you have the key).
Home|End keys operate the JUMP|Crouch controls for your onscreen player. CTRL + Arrow to Jump Up.

Use the Arrow Keys to move Robin forward and back, and left to right.
Use the MOUSE to aim the H2Ozinator water cannon. When playing with young children, an older player can also use the mouse to steer Robin left and right.

To operate the HELICOPTER you must using the following keys:

A = up; Z= down; K = LEFT; L = RIGHT; S = START; B = Brake
So in other words, your left hand, or another player can operate altitude, and your right hand operates direction. The helicopter is set to "land" when you fly right over the dig ten. The helicopter is located behind the hanger in the Cairo airport. It will also reappear at the end of the game and you can fly around the pyramids and Nile and listen to the song. Use your 'B' key to brake in front of the credits.

There are some places where you can "SEEMINGLY GET STUCK." The rats in the hallways of the prison can get in the way. Some of the objects in the hallways, including the torches and some uneven flooring can make it seem like you cannot get by. Keep wiggling. Use your arrow keys to move around to get unstuck. You may have to jump over something. If you are by an opened door, hit your spacebar again to close it, then walk away a little bit and hit the spacebar again. Sometimes Robin's foot gets stuck on a door.

If you get "trapped" by the slave traders after falling into the well, try jumping and wiggling past them, or going back and then around them. They may eventually move out of the way. Same goes for the guards in Potiphar's house. ...Or they could trap you and end your game. Do not let the slavetraders or guards surround you. They can trap you and force you to quit. Be quick. Stay out of the prison water trap and Pharoah's fountain. Do not fall into the water trap in the prison hallway. Stay on the plank. **Save your game as soon as you fall down the well, and as soon as you enter Pharaoh's court. We also don't recommend going behind the tent. Some of the terrain back there gets freaky.

Sometimes Robin's foot gets stuck on a stone, corner or object. Press either the left or right arrow and Forward arrow at the same time to slide and keep moving. Sometimes you might need to make Robin jump to get unstuck (Home key)

Once you progress through a level you can't go back to a previous level. The only exception is at the beginning in the Dig Tent where you can go back up the stairs to get an H20zinator if you forgot one. (or unless you reach the end of the game where we have installed "jump points" that allow you to go back anywhere in the game).

Pressing F7 will show you ROBIN in the game, however, this viewpoint may cause some problems in the game. In "third person" mode (you see her on the screen) the helicopter may fly too fast on FAST computers, and the point of view (camera which trails Robin) may take you outside of walls or cause bouncing against the walls. Plus, in the third person mode (when you can see Robin onscreen) may cause the study note panels to be too hard to read. Switch to FIRST PERSON (F7) where there is NO Robin character on screen for best performance. We do not recommend using the "third person" mode.

MAZE and Voice File Triggering Advice: Strongly encourage your players NOT TO RUN through the Prison and Pharaoh's maze. Instead, stand still and listen to the voice files before proceeding. If you RUN and don't listen, you might trigger additional voice file triggers before the previous one has stopped playing. This can become a problem in Pharaoh's maze. Plus, many of the voice files have information in them about how to proceed.

There are SIGNS at the beginning of the first Prison Maze which alerts you to the fact that IF you agree with the audio narration at each intersection in the maze, you should follow the direction of the EYE. If you disagree with the audio narration (if it is wrong), go the way of the SCARAB.

When Robin brings the cup to Sir Dabney on the scaffolding at the end of the game she must walk right up to him to give him the cup. Then AFTER he is done talking, do as he says: walk the cup into the heiroglyph on the obelisk to activate a change in the game (the brothers will appear below and you can go talk to them). It is important that you tell your students to wait for Dabney to stop talking before inserting the cup in the obelisk.You cannot get back to the Dig Tent without putting the cup in the obelisk at the top of the scaffolding.

Climbing the Obelisk scaffolding requires some dexterity. Because of Robin's wide stance, you will have to skooch her left and right to position her correctly before jumping up & forward to the next level. See more about this below....

SAVING A GAME Position:
When you press Esc and Save, you are taken to the saved game menu. Please note: this is for saving your current "safe" spot and being able to come back to it (by loading a saved spot) during the same game.

To SAVE a game location and "load" that saved spot at a later time:
1. Hit your ESC key, then use your arrow keys to select SAVE.
2. Move the red square up or down to your desired location and press ENTER. Pressing ENTER activates that square. The red box is gone.
3. Now TYPE a name for your saved game, then press ENTER again and go to RETURN. If your copy of Joseph is new and no one has saved games yet, the red squares will be blank.

It is a really good idea to SAVE YOUR GAME AS YOU PLAY. That way you can restart just a little behind, rather from the beginning if you get stuck somewhere. When you turn the game off, the saved names won't appear on the save menu. But keep reading for an inside secret....

Here's a NEW SUPER HOT TIP:  There is a quirk which allows you to reload a position from a PREVIOUSLY SAVED game AFTER you have completely quit the game. If you quit the game completely, then start it up again, press ESC key and the Saved Game positions will appear to be empty, …but in fact, if you press ENTER on the top saved position, it will load whatever saved game position you previously saved there when you last played the game, even though the game doesn't show you the name of the position you last gave it. There's more:  After you load a position from another game you once played, and press the ESC key again and Load Game buttons again, the list of all your previous saved positions will appear. It's a quirk of how the game reads the names of the saved games, so please feel free to exploit it!

Check the answering machine for a message, listen to it, then you can go up to the dorm room door, press your spacebar and exit. Once you go through the dorm room door there is no getting back. Technical Help: When you go out into the hall you may need to walk left and right until you find the invisible level switch. Next stop Cairo! If you cannot hear the answering machine message start when you walk right up to it, double-click your Windows sound icon and make sure the "wave" volume is up.

Once you get to the Cairo Airport...
Head down the left side by the hanger and locate the Helicopter on the pad behind it. Fly over the Nile, over the trees and toward the Dig Tent which will come into view. (There is a sign on the hanger with a map). Land on the pad and Robin pops out read to go. You can fly around later if you like. The Pyramids are quite beautiful this time of year. Stay out of the trees and dunes.

Ok Teachers...here's the big secret in the Airport: If you go into the hanger straight ahead when you exit your airplane, you can skinny around the wing of the plane on the right side, go behind the barrels and go to the back of the plane in the hanger. There you will find a secret room with "JUMP buttons" that will take you straight to various levels in the game. These are a great way to go back to a level at a later time to discuss subject matter there or find the Bible study notes. WARNING: If you jump past the Dig Tent you can't complete the game. Why? Because H2Ozinator water cannons are required to navigate multiple levels, and the only place they can be procured is in the Dig Tent.

STEERING ROBIN AND AIMING THE H2OZINATOR
Use the ARROW KEYS to steer Robin left/right/back/forward. You can also use the mouse to steer her while you press the forward or back keys. Use your MOUSE -or- PageUp/PageDown keys to LOOK up and down ...and to AIM her H20zinator water cannon. Left click your mouse or press CTRL to fire the H20zinator. Because both the mouse and keyboard can be used together, two students, or a teacher and student can cooperate together.

Navigating and aiming may take some getting used to. When you bump into walls you will slow down or Robin's foot may drag against/hook on something. Steer well!

WHAT TO DO INSIDE THE TENT
DO NOT FORGET to get your H20zinator water cannon on the left-backwall as you enter the tent. Make sure you walk up to it straight on to acquire the cannon. While in the tent you can View/listen to the computer presentation on the table. It has some historical background on Joseph.

Note: Dabney says to get both a Heiro-trans and an H20zinator, however, you need only pick up the H20zinator. The Heiro-Trans key is automatically given to you (it is invisible and will trigger necessary translations in each level).

WHAT TO DO IN THE HALL OF DREAMS
There are three rooms here. Two are blocked by barricade and require separate keys. Begin in the one room you can enter and find the key. (You need two keys. They are easily found in two of the rooms.)

Use your SPACE BAR to slide the barricades away and open all doors/panels in the game. Stand back a little bit from them when you hit your spacebar (not too far but not real close)

GETTING OUT OF THE WELL
You have to use your H20zinator to blast through debris. At this point in the game, the game begins to change and thinks Robin is Joseph. The slave-traders are grumpy but harmless, as are the guards in Potiphar's house --though they will try to hem you in. You will need to press your END key to crouch and crawl under the stones.

"Suddenly...Joseph's ruins think YOU are Joseph!" The game is now going to get harder.
CAUTION: DO NOT LET THE SLAVETRADERS PIN YOU IN A CORNER
Move quickly and jump away from them! And it is possible that you could become permanently stuck and have to restart the game. Be quick and keep going straight down the hall. Don't forget to crouch. It is highly recommended that you SAVE your game just prior to entering the well in case you get stuck. HINT: Go straight down past the Slavetraders. Do not go into a left or right corridor.

GETTING PAST POTIPHAR'S GUARDS
You must find the key to open the "door" on the wall down past Potiphar's wife. The door looks like a large Egyptian relief and has a picture of the key you are looking for. The key appears next to Potiphar's wife AFTER you approach her and she accuses you. The guards will try to hem you in. Be quick, run and jump up to grab the key. Use your space bar to open the door at the end of the room once you have the key. If the guards hem you in, start jumping/bumping and grinding looking for one of them to move away. It may take a bit and it is possible that you will get stuck and have to restart the game. Avoid them at all costs. Hidden Feature: Press END key when in the pool and you'll submerge. Remember to press Home key to fully surface or you won't be able to get out.

GETTING THROUGH THE PRISON
There is a whiteboard note from Sir Dabney as you enter the prison. Read it carefully, it gives you a clue about which direction you should go when you get to the maze intersections (eye = true or correct). Basically, the maze intersections have two directions you can go --a correct one and an incorrect one. Listen to the Heiro-trans narrations for story information and then make your choice of direction. You can always try again. Watch out for some floor traps. You may need to jump over them or crawl under them.(Run forward and press Home key to jump). If you get stuck in the water trap, you will have to wiggle back and forth while jumping to get Robin's feet out. Walk Robin backwards then press Home and Forward Arrow at the same time to jump her forward out of the trap. It can take several tries to get out, but you can do it. Word to the wise: avoid the water trap.

Hashem's Bible Study Notes can be found in one of the cells. They cover "the story so far." You can come back to them later if you are short on time. Or you can have students answer one or two questions.

GETTING THROUGH PHARAOH'S PALACE
Pharaoh offers his dream and there are three possible interpretations (doors) to go through. Best to know your stuff before choosing! (Its the door on the right, by the way). Warning: Do not jump in Pharoah's fountain. After you go through the palace, you enter Pharaoh's MAZE. This is a series of hallways narrated by Joseph where he tells you how he met up with his brothers.

Warning: Going through the WRONG DOOR in Pharaoh's Palace riddle will send you back in the game. Listen carefully to the 3 Heiro-trans solutions and pick the correct one. When you hear the correct interpretation of the dream go through that door. Down the hallway there is a stairwell where sand must be blasted away. Read the translation notes left behind by one of the workers in this area. It will continue the story (and is the only part of the story NOT narrated). You will not get out. Hidden Feature: Walk close to some of the guards to hear them warn you.

Tell your players not to run through the prison. They will blow by voice file triggers that tell the last part of Joseph's story. Instead, tell them to proceed only when the voice file is over.

GET THE CUP!
After meeting Pharaoh (and choosing wisely) you'll enter an area of sand ruins. Use your H20zinator to blast through. Don't forget to look for Joseph's lost cup. You'll need it for the final level when Robin finally finds her Grandpa Dabs. By the way, he's up on the scaffolding by the obelisk outside in the "hall of reconciliation." Take the cup up right up to Dabney. Warning: Once he starts talking, stand still and wait for his instructions.

To climb the scaffolding you'll need to learn how to JUMP UP. Use your CTRL button and give it a try. Use your mouse or PageUp/Down to get a better view of the planks you must walk on. Robin can be a little difficult to navigate here... her arms must be between the poles. If you jump up and seem to get bumped back down, it's probably because you didn't align her properly.

You can also use your F7 KEY to change VIEW MODE. Robin can't jump up to the next level if there is a post in the way! Sometimes it is a little hard to figure out just how far she is from a post on the scaffolding. It takes some practice. Generally speaking, Robin can hang over the edge pretty good! Use your PAGE DOWN button to see her feet. You'll get the hang of it in no time. She can fall from the scaffolding but does not get hurt.

Hidden Feature: There is a freaky trick to get up the obelisk and even stand on it. It involves pressing your "Home" jump key while standing at the base between the obelisk and scaffolding on one particular side. Robin is a good climber and even better Jumper. She can jump all the way down the scaffolding and not get hurt. Sometimes this freaky trick works, sometimes it doesn't. You can even get up to the tip-top of the obelisk. Use your page-down key to look below you.

CLIMB THE OBELISK -- MEET WITH SIR DABNEY
Robin must take the cup, climb the scaffolding, meet her grandfather and turn and insert the cup into the cup spot on the obelisk.

Climbing the scaffolding may take some practice. Remember Robin has kind of a WIDE STANCE, thus if you don't line her up to jump forward onto the platform just exactly, her foot may catch on the pipes. Line her up properly. Scooch her left and right while you press the Forward arrow key to help her slide around poles.

Once you enter the final level and see the obelisk, SAVE YOUR GAME.

 

AFTER MEETING SIR DABNEY...

1. Read Dabney's Bible Study Questions...He's left them in the desert. Find them and they pop open to discuss.

2. Interview the Brothers and discuss possible answers to their questions.

3. Walk up to the Dig Tent Sign and that will jump you to the Dig Tent where you can find the helicopter, Joseph's Song, and the Hippo Wash Maze. Inside the tent are "jump" points back into the game. We highly recommend you SAVE your spot in the Dig Tent before jumping to new locations. (In version 1.0 and 1.1 the helicopter is sitting right in the sand and plays the song. You cannot return to the dig tent). Note: you cannot go down the stairs.

"Go Where the Spirit Says Go" plays in the Dig Tent
It's a grungy rock 'n roll with lyrics "sung by Joseph" which summarize his life's perspective gained under adversity --all in two verses. Pretty neat trick. The lyrics of this song are found in the tent and on this webpage. If you are in a class with multiple computers, we recommend SAVING the SONG for LAST and listening to it as a group with the lyrics in front of you.

To hear and reflect on the song OUTSIDE OF THE PROGRAM you will need to look in C:\Joseph folder on your harddrive (or whichever drive letter you have assigned) and OPEN the JOESONG.WAV file. It will play on your computer outside the game. In a later version of Joe CD we hope to put additional triggers in the landscape and access back into the tent.

LYRICS to "Go Where the Spirit Says Go" My brothers and my sisters, they do not understand, I have these dreams and visions like Great Grandpa Abraham, Their jealousy and anger, oh they wish me well and dead But even at the bottom there's a voice that's in my head, saying, Go where the Spirit says Go, and Dream what the Spirit says Dream, and Love, love, love what the Spirit says Love. God has a plan for you, for you... Pass through trial,..temptation, search your heart and speak the truth, Share your gifts with others, no excuses for your youth, And when the time is ready to forgive and find the cup, Remember what others put down God surely raises up, when you Go where the Spirit says Go, and Dream what the Spirit says Dream, and Love, love, love what the Spirit says Love. God has a plan for you. For you, for you, for you... For you guitar fans out there, the chords are E|G on the verses, A|C|E on "God has a plan for you" and C|E on "for you..." The vocalist is Tyler Wright -lead singer of The Tyler Wright Project, a local band where I live.

Extra Questions for review or for use in a handout:

1. Joseph's dream had several wheat sheaves bowing down to one sheaf of wheat. What did that mean?
2. Joseph told his father about his second dream of stars, sun and moon. How and Why did Jacob react?
3. Imagine you were thrown in a well by your brothers. How would you be feeling toward them and God?
4. After being sold into slavery to Potiphar, why do you think Joseph was an honest, hard-working slave?
5. What is the lesson Joseph teaches you on the back ledge/porch behind Potiphar's swimming pool?
6. What was it that Pharaoh saw in Joseph that made him place his trust in Joseph?
7. What would have been YOUR reaction to your brothers showing up in Egypt after all those years?
8. What do you think Joseph would have done if some of his brothers had not had a change of heart?
9. What does the CUP mean in the story? in the game? What does it symbolize?
10. How does the symbol of the cup in Christian worship have the same meaning?
11. What do you think God's plan for your life is? How can you discover this plan?
12. Is there a "general plan" that applies to us all?
13. What special talent do you have that God can use for greater good?
14. What do you think the story of Joseph teaches you the most: the importance of patience, forgiveness, trustworthiness or faith?

Questions like these can be copied onto a handout and given to the students to fill-in as they move through the game, then discussed later. If you are viewing this guide on the web, you can use your mouse to "drag & copy" these questions into a wordprocessing document to create your own handout.

Technical Notes:
Run this CD in 800x600, nothing less, and nothing more for best performance. On older computers, run this CD in 16 bit "high color" -not 32 bit "true color. It will save you 1 mb of video RAM. For best performance, run on a 16 mb video/graphics card, 700+mhz, 96 mb RAM PC or HIGHER. On older computers, we recommend turning off all other programs, including anti-virus software for optimal game performance. You must be running DirectX 8.1 or higher on your Windows PC or the graphics may be odd. We have included a copy of DirectX on the CD. If you experience any technical problems, or have suggestions for this guide or the program, contact us at 1-800-678-1948, www.sundaysoftware.com or neil@sundaysoftware.com.

If you experience any technical problems installing or playing Joseph's Story, go to www.sundaysoftware.com/joseph/joe-tech.htm for explanations and solutions.

About our 3D Models: We designed this program to run on older computers as well as new. Thus, we used low-polygon (ram saving) character models. Their hands and faces can look a little odd at times because of this technical decision.

Extra Teaching Resources

"Hashem's Study Notes" & Dabney's lost "Notes for Today's Bible Study"
The two "Dura-Word" tablet graphics below are the same graphics which appear in the game. Hashem's study notes can be found in Pharaoh's prison. Dabs' study notes are found in the final dune & obelisk area where Robin finds Sir Dabney. Apparently the old fellow left them in the sand. They can also be copied from this document which you are viewing, or through the PDF document mentioned below. After playing the game, in order to jump back to the Prison or Hall of Reconciliation you need to either start a new game and go through all the levels until you find the notes, or start a new game and go directly into the hanger at the airport to jump to these locations.

Clicking this link will download an Adobe Acrobat PDF file that includes the two graphics seen below, and a blank copy of it to make your own study pad, and a copy of the LYRICS to the song. The PDF file is at www.sundaysoftware.com/joseph/dabs-notepad.pdf

Super-techie note: You can put your OWN Bible Study graphics in the Joseph game simply by redrawing the legalpad tablet graphics (as seen above) found in c:\joseph, file names p-note.bmp and notepad.bmp. Please note: the game engine will interpret the color black as invisible. Do not change the size or resolution of the graphics either or you may get an improper display. Warning: Changing any other accessible graphics may cause them to display improperly or the game to hang up when you get to that section.

This guide, its content, graphics and the song lyrics, copyright 2002-2006, Neil MacQueen, www.sundaysoftware.com. They may be reproduced for non-commercial teaching use provided this copyright notice stays with the material.