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1996-07-17
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Bricks and Balls
(the game the camels tried to ban)
Jason Job 1996
Bricks and balls is a Breakout / Arkanoid type game, with a few differences.
System requirements - Any PC (and I do mean any - even an XT);
Any version of DOS (as far as I know);
Any amount of memory (yes, even as little as 256 k);
VGA graphics (runs only in VGA mode);
Mouse (MUST have a mouse);
ALL of its files - bb.exe (or bb-xt.exe) : programme
palette.bb : palette file
bricks.bb : graphics file
levels.bb : data file
top10.bb : high scores
readme.bb : manual, info
Bricks and Balls will NOT run if any of these files
are missing.
The Game :
Hit a ball with a paddle, break all the bricks, go to next level, hit a ball
with a paddle................
Paddle :
The paddle is controlled by the mouse, and, unlike any other game of this sort
that I know of, can move up and down as well as left and right. This makes it
possible to change the path of the ball to suit your needs, rather than waiting
for it to achieve the right trajectory (Aquanoid), or trying to guess what
angle it will bounce at (Arkanoid II).
Do not move the paddle up at the ball too quickly - you can easily move it over
the ball instead of hitting it.
Ball :
The ball will travel along a diagonal course, making only 90 or 180 degree
turns. If the ball hits a side, it will bounce off at a 90 degree angle. If
it hits a corner, however, its course will be reversed. This also works on
the paddle.
If you have collected a smasher bonus, the ball will continue on its course
without being turned aside, cutting a path through masses of blocks.
If the ball goes off the bottom of the screen, you lose a life (you start with
5 lives) - as the mouse can move up and down, you have the chance to whip the
paddle down and try again if you miss - but don't bet on it.
The Bricks :
Most of the blocks require only one hit to destroy. There are two types of
block, though, which require more. The tough blocks look like two small blocks
joined together. The light grey one takes two hits, and the dark grey takes
four hits.
These tough blocks may be removed with the purple bonus, but this forfeits any
chance of acquiring the large amounts of points which these blocks can provide.
The more a block is worth, the more likely it is to give a bonus. In theory,
this means that grey blocks should rarely give bonuses - reality, for some
reason, does not work this way. Tough blocks, though, will ALWAYS give a
bonus.
Bonuses :
White - 800 points
Red - smasher, 250 points
Green - holder, 250 points
Blue - next level, 250 points
Orange - 500 points
Pink - lose a life, get 10000 points
Sickly green - previous level, get 7500 points
Light green - get a life
Purple - remove all tough blocks
Light blue - lose 1000 points
Yellow - invisible ball, get 5000 points
There can be only one bonus on screen at a time - no matter how likely a block
is to give a bonus, even if it is guaranteed to do so, it will not if there is
already one on screen.
Scoring :
Each block earns points, starting with the plain grey blocks being worth 5
points, up to the dark grey tough blocks, worth 90 points.
Most bonuses are worth points to you. The smasher, holder, and next level
bonuses are worth 250 points, in addition to their effects.
The detrimental bonuses all have high points values - it is up to you to
whether you can trade a life for a high score. For those who aim to get the
highest possible score, going back to previous levels can be quite useful.
There are no extra lives given for reaching a certain score - you should get
plenty from the light green bonuses.
Controls :
Mouse - moves the paddle, starts game
ESC - quit (only from in game, not title screen or high scores)
s - sound on or off (only from in game, not title screen or high scores)
l - choose level to play (only from in game, not title screen or high scores)
-, + - change speed (only from in game, not title screen or high scores)
To choose a level, type in its name (displayed at the bottom of the score
table whilst playing). You don't have to replay every level when you die, as
long as you took note of a level's name.
XT users :
For those of you who are unfortunate enough to have only an XT (or worse),
or those who had one and never threw it away when they upgraded, I have
compiled a special version, bb-xt.exe, which will run on these old machines.
Aren't I nice?
This software is not shareware, nor is it public domain. I do not demand any
money for it, but any money sent (in appreciation, or just because you think
that I might need it) will be accepted VERY GRATEFULLY. Being a student, I
really could use it (let this play on your conscience for a while).
If you want more, you can purchase extra levels from me, or even a programme
to make your own levels (maybe, I'm not sure if that is a good idea or not).
If you liked this game, think about sending $15 or so to me. Levels in groups
of 20 will cost $10, groups of 50 will cost $20. The level maker (with
instructions) will cost $20 (contact me first!!!!! - I may not want to release
it!).
I would prefer to send by e-mail, by the way
Any money or orders can be sent to :
Jason Job
P.O. Box 182
Dareton, 2717
N.S.W.
Australia
I can be contacted at the above address, or through e-mail at :
jasonjob@nexus.edu.au
SEND ONLY AUSTRALIAN MONEY ORDERS OR CHEQUES DRAWN FROM AUSTRALIAN BANKS -
ANYTHING ELSE WILL BE DESTROYED, AND YOU WILL HAVE LOST YOUR MONEY. NOT MY
PROBLEM, UNDERSTAND.
Give this game to anyone you know, do not alter it, think about giving me some
money, and kill the shareware concept (as if they could MAKE you pay).
And if you don't understand the joke in the subtitle, get Terry Pratchett's
'Pyramids', and a life.
For those who need to know (busybodies):
Jason Job - currently aged 19, student at Sunraysia Institute of TAFE,
self-taught programmer (who gives a damn about pseudo-code!),
wargamer (Warhammer)
This programme was written in Borland's Turbo Pascal 6.0, on a 286 with DOS
3.3, and was designed to prove that you don't need a pentium-200 to have a
good game (and is dedicated to all C64 users out there - make an emulator
for the 286, damn it);
I do not believe in copyright, but I hold it for this software anyway.
(c) Jason Job, 1996 - see?
Not that it will stop the hackers, but then what will?