The main menu requires only one click on a button to activate.
Game Keys (while playing):
To Fire: Mouse Button -or- 'F' -or- 'f' key
To Pause Game: 'P' -or- 'p' key
To Unpause Game: Click the Mouse Button
To Toggle Sound On/Off: 'S' -or- 's' key
To Quit the game: 'Q' -or- 'q' key
Background Operation:
For those people who have a monitor that displays greater than 640x480 resolution,
the game window will center itself on the screen. Clicking outside of the window will suspend the game. During this time, the game takes the lowest priority for receiving events, so it should not interfere with any processes in the foreground. During game play however, it will take a high priority (ie it hogs your processor).
Game Play:
An accident at a mining facility in the Binary Mines of Terradyn has blown large fragments into space, and they're headed your way. You have been drafted by Earth Central Government in the year 2110 to protect a distant outpost from excessive bombardment of these "meteorites". You have been given a prototype ship (nicknamed 'The Endurance') which can handle up to thirty direct meteorite hits before it is rendered useless, killing it's occupant. The station you are required to defend, can handle only nine direct hits before it's destruction. The government only gave this station a class one armor fitting, this was due to budget cuts in the Outer Celestial Exploration Program.
Your ship has high speed manuevering capabilities, a short range, superspace drive which can move your ship a limited distance within only a few microseconds; two limited range ion-pulse cannons for offense, and a three stage, heavy armor for defense, in which each stage can handle ten direct hits. You must destroy twenty meteorites with your beam weapon to advance to the next level. Destruction of a meteorite due to collision by either your ship or the station will not be counted, although you will receive points.
Each new level will completely repair the spacestation's armor, your ship's armor however, cannot be repaired. When you move to a higher level, the probability of a meteorite appearing increases, as well as the potential "top speed" (i.e. Level 5's meteorites can travel at a higher speed than Level 4's meteorites, however, the speed is random; hence the speed of the meteorites varies).
The point system is as follows:
25 pts - When a meteorite hits the space station
20 pts - When you destroy a meteorite with your cannon
15 pts - When your ship and a meteorite collide
The final level is level 40.
The game is over when the spacestation has been hit ten times in one level, or you reach the final level. Good luck!
Game Hints:
- For easier firing, use both the mouse button and 'f' key
- To get a higher score (and if you want to risk it), allow the meteorites to hit
the space station until only one additional hit is needed to destroy it, then finish
the level. The highest points are awarded for the collision of a meteorite
on the space station.
MacEnjoy settings file:
Included with Space Pebbles is the settings file for use with a MacEnjoy joystick adapter. MacEnjoy is an adapter for the Macintosh, where you can use a cheap Atari/Commodore joysticks on Mac games. It consists of an adapter that plugs into the ADB port, and a control panel that will allow you to personalize your settings for a selected game. It's a great alternative if you'd like to get a little more use out of your Atari (or Commodore) joysticks, or if you don't want to pay the high prices for the optical joysticks out for the Mac market.
Special thanks to the Beta Testers for their time and effort:
Juan M. Gonzalez and Chris Hwang.
(If you were a beta tester, and you would like your name on the list, please get back to me!! I seem to have lost contact with about ten of you. I won't print your name without permission.)
