If you've gotten this far, you've made it through installation. Thank Aladdin Systems for making installation so easy.
About Shareware.
This game was turned into shareware using Aladdin Systems Electronic Commerce Technology. Until you purchase the game, the game will start with a screen informing you that this game is shareware and to please pay for it if you play it. I am a poor humble game writer and your contribution will cause me to become a successful game writer so I can write more great games for you to play. Also Aladdin Systems Electronic Commerce Technology makes paying for the game easy if you have a major credit card. When the Electronic Commerce Screen comes up, just hit the purchase button. The next screen gives you several purchase options. You can purchase via mail, fax, phone, modem, or directly over the Internet. Select a purchase method, and the rest of the screens will guide you from there. If you don't have a major credit card, send me an e-mail and I'm sure we can work something out.
IMPORTANT
When you purchase the game, Aladdin Systems Electronic Commerce Technology will put a receipt file on your hard drive. It's important that you print the receipt and store it someplace safe. I'm horrible at record keeping so I'll never know what your unlock code is.
Other legal things.
I hate to bother you with this stuff so early in the instructions, but until we come up with a better compensation system then money, it's kinda important. You have the right to check out space cab without paying for it. But if you like it and you play it, you've got to register it. i.e. pay for it. You may not distribute the game or any of it's components after it's been installed. You may distribute the installer. In fact I encourage you to distribute the installer. You may not use the music files for any reason other then playing Space Cab, and I have to be firm on that point. I didn't write the music so I can't even give you permission to use it for any other purpose. If you like the music and you want to use the music for some other purpose, you have to buy your own copy of Gallery Effects IIｪ and the Multimedia 5 packｪ. End of discussion. (the Multimedia 5 Pack is cheaper the Space Cab so there is no excuse) You may not disassemble, reverse compile, or extract the code in any way, shape or form. You may not use the graphics or sounds for any purpose other then playing Space Cab. ( I did the graphics so if you really want to pay me a lot to use the graphics for other reasons, I may let you)
Space Cab has no warranty expressed or implied. Space Cab is shareware so you have the ability to make sure it's fit for the purpose of playing the game Space Cab prior to registration and payment. Hence no refunds will be honored. If during your examination period, you find that Space Cab does not meet your criteria, or expectations for the game Space Cab, or you find inherent defects that prevent you from playing the game Space Cab, and that prevent you from registering Space Cab, then you are to remove (delete) all installed components of the game Space Cab including the application file, all music files, and all text files. If you do find inherent defects in the game Space Cab that prevent you from playing it, you should, but are not required to, notify me, Kevin Quigley, of the nature of the defect via e-mail. I will, at my convenience, make a effort to correct said defect and release a corrected version. Since I am a one man operation, I may rely upon you to verify that the defect has been fixed. You are not obliged to cooperate. However I make no guarantees that said defect will be fixed. If you find an inherent defect in the game Space Cab after you've registered the game, then you are to notify me, Kevin Quigley, of the nature of the defect via e-mail. I will make an effort to correct the defect, and I will make every effort to send you a corrected version. I may have to rely upon you to verify that the defect is corrected. However, no refunds will be given. Again due to the nature of software, and the complexity of computers in general, I can make no guarantees that said defect will be fixed. Many levels are very difficult, and I will not be responsible for your ability or inability to play the game Space Cab.
Anyway, On To The Good Stuff ﾉ
WARNING: IF YOU CONTINUE YOU WILL BE VIOLATING THE FIRST RULE OF COMPUTER GAME PLAYING BY READING THE INSTRUCTIONS
Space Cab is a fun little game where you pilot a jet powered taxi around various levels carrying people from pad to pad. When you've visited each pad once, a door to the next level will appear at the top of the screen. Fly through to advance to the next level.
Double click the Space Cab Icon to start the game. The first thing you'll see is the splash screen. This screen is important because it gives you something to look at while Space Cab loads it's resources. When you see the message "Click Mouse to Continue" do so, or hit any key on the keyboard.
You are then presented with the start up dialog. It gives you the choice of playing the game, changing the game preferences, checking out the credits or quitting. It also displays the current high score list. Click the preferences button and set the keys to your liking. Some keys may simply cause a beep. These are keys that do something else. What they are and what they do is described below. Notice that as soon as you hit a key, the entry selector advances to the next box. You can also click in a box and hit a key to change the key for that direction. In the preferences dialog box, you can also choose between mouse and joystick as your alternate controls. You can turn the music and sound effects on or off. You can have Space Cab hide the mouse cursor while playing the game, and you can clear an existing high score list. If you want your changes to take affect, click OK, if not, click cancel. When you're ready to play, click "Play Space Cab" from the start up dialog.
Display
On the right side of the main screen is some pertinent information. At the top is customer status indicator. He will either be waiting for you at a pad, or in the cab. In the former case, the status indicator will read "Call to pad x ". In the latter case, the status indicator will read "Cust in Cab". Below the customer status indicator is the pad the customer wants to go to. Right below that is the fair ($10) plus tip. Notice the longer it takes you to get the customer to his destination, the less money you get. Below that is the number of cabs you have left, and below that is your fuel gauge. If you run out of fuel, you die.
Flying The Cab.
You have three options when flying the cab: Mouse or Joystick, or keyboard. These controls activate the main thrusters. The further you move the mouse or joystick, the harder you thrust. Move the mouse up and the bottom thrusters activate. Move the mouse back down to the center and the thrusters stop. The ideal mouse movement is a quick move and back to get a nice short controlled thrust that direction.
For a joystick, make sure your joystick is set to auto center in the main monitor. Gravisｪ products call this Monitor Auto Center. Then just quick tap in the desired direction gives you a short controlled thrust.
For Keyboard, you set your keys in the preferences dialog, and the default keys are the arrow keys. Holding the shift key simultaneously gives you double thrust. The option key gives you triple thrust.
To land, you need to extend your landing gear. You do this by clicking the mouse button or hitting the space bar (or what ever you set in the prefs). Your left and right thrusters will not be active while your gear is extended. Land slowly, very slowly, very very slowly. If you land to hard and you have a customer in your cab, he'll dock your tip $5, and if you land even harder, you'll crash you cab.
Playing the Game
A passenger will appear at a pad. In the upper right is "Call To Pad x" and "Cust Dest: Pad y". Fly to the pad where the customer is (x) and he will get in your cab. Fly to his destination (y) and he will get out and a new customer will appear. When you've visited every pad in the level once, a gate will appear at the top of the screen. Leave through that gate to get to the next level.
Controls
[Mouse]/[Joystick] - Main thrusters.
[Mouse Click] - Landing Gear.
[H] - Hide Cursor.
[S] - Show Cursor.
[Command][Q] - Quit Space Cab.
[J] - Switch between mouse and joystick.
Default Keyboard controls
[Up Arrow] - Thrust up.
[Down Arrow] - Thrust down.
[Left Arrow] - Thrust left
[Right Arrow] - Thrust right.
[Space] - Landing Gear.
[']'] - Slow Space Cab.
['['] - Speed up Space Cab.
[+] - Increase Mouse Sensitivity.
[-] - Decrease Mouse Sensitivity.
The Levels
One thing to remember about all my levels is that I consider it immoral to kill the cab while it's landed. This fact can save your butt in the higher levels. However, the micro-second you're off the pad, you're fair game heh-heh-hehﾉ
Easy as Pie - Only one pad. But no pie or ice cream on the job.
Moon Unit - Light gravity, three pads.
Underground - Can you make it to Pad 4.
Meteor Shower - First of the tough levels. Watch out for falling meteors.
Space Station - No gravity in space.
New York - Heavy gravity, lots of pads, and fuel if you need it.
Black Hole - Centralized gravity gets stronger as you get closer to the black hole.
Freeway - Watch out for speeders. But don't fear going off the left side of the freeway.
Pool Hall - Bonus Level. Get the cash but watch out for the balls.
Maze - A random maze with 4 pads placed in random locations make this level different every time.
Teleporters - teleport you to different parts of the level.
Save the City - The evil empire is sending bombs raining down on this poor defenseless city, but with XJ-925 Interstellar Taxi Cab, you have the power to save the city. Run right into the bombs as they fall upon the city, and the bombs will disappear. But DON'T let the bombs hit the city because when the explode the shock wave will destroy your cab. You'll get $1 for every bomb you catch.
Guided Missile - The Plutonian Cab Co. (a rival cab company) has placed a guided missile launcher on this level. Every time you fly over it, it will launch a guided missile at your cab.
Ice Mountains - Fierce winds and Killer Snowflakes make this a dangerous level
Interference Canyons - In order to protect their precious canyons this level has globes that periodically send out Interference signals. They'll cause your thrusters to go haywire.
Cosmic Tornado - You're assigned the beat in the M8 nebula. RIGHT AROUND THE COSMIC TORNADO!!! This tornado is so fierce that it's drafts can be felt anywhere in the level. Probably the hardest level.
Crosswinds - Another windy level with very strong wind tunnels.
Future Plans
This is version 1.0.1 of Space Cab. Here are some things I plan to do for the next couple of releases. Note that these are only plans and subject to change without notice.
Version 1.5 - The addition of sound to flying objects, and the low level customizing feature will come to fruition. The low level customizing feature will allow people with Reseditｪ knowledge to design static levels and programmers to create dynamic levels. It will also allow Multiple Universes (A universe being defined as an ordinal set of levels)
Version 2.0 - More levels, a High Level Customizer, and a radio dispatcher to tell you where your customers are and where they want to go. The High Level Customizer will be a separate program that will allow ordinary people to create and edit levels, and even create entire universes. Though, you'll never have the power to edit levels that low level editing gives you, it will be very easy to create levels. Programmers will also be able to write plug-ins to the editor and hence Space Cab itself.
Revision History
1.0.1
Fixed a nasty bug where hitting 'q' without the command key would cause a partial quit, and likely crash.
Corrected a spelling mistake in the About Box.
Changed the Save the City level to give you $1 from every bomb you catch rather then $25 if no bombs hit the city.
Changed the game so that running out of fuel only causes the cab to lose thruster power, not die automatically.
