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1996-12-12
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Zentris (tm)
version 1.31
The Best 'Tris in the World (tm)
Copyright (c) 1991-92 Robert J. Sundling
Documentation (February 21, 1992)
Zenithal Software (tm)
200 Rowe Street
Stoughton, WI 53589-2352
United States of America
Zentris Manual
Table of Contents
Preamble/Foreword/Opening/Prelude/Introduction . . . . 1
A Note on Viruses . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1
Zentris Contacts . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1
How To Register Zentris . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2
The History of Zentris . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3
System Requirements . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3
The Nature of Zentris . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3
Playing Zentris . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3
Keyboard controls . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3
Mouse . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4
Joystick . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4
Joystick Calibration . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4
Invocation Options . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5
Special Features . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5
Next Piece . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5
Stats . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6
Level . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6
Gray scale . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6
Shell to DOS . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6
Redraw . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6
Pause . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6
Sound on/off . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6
Clock . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6
Initials on/off . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6
Joystick calibration . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6
Quit . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6
Help . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 7
Compatibility . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 7
DESQView . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 7
Microsoft Windows . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 7
New Features . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 7
The Best 'Tris in the World? . . . . . . . . . . . . . 7
Alphabetical Index . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 8
Preamble/Foreword/Opening/Prelude/Introduction
Copyright 1991,92 Robert J. Sundling. All Rights Reserved.
Zentris is a product of Zenithal Software, Ltd. Zentris is
protected by the copyright laws of the United States and its
treaty provisions for foreign countries. Zentris, Zenithal
Software, and The Best 'Tris in the World are trademarks of
Robert J. Sundling. DOS, Microsoft, and Microsoft Windows are
registered trademarks of Microsoft Corporation. DESQView is a
trademark of Quarterdeck Office Systems. Tetris is a trademark
of V/O Electronorgtechnica (Elorg). All other trademarks or
service marks belong to their respective companies.
Disclaimer of liability: The author makes no warranties,
expressed or implied, as to this product, including but not
limited to implied warranties of suitability for a particular
purpose, or any damages that may result from its use, such as
lost profits or damaged equipment, among other possibilities.
A Note on Viruses
The Zentris program is stored in an encrypted format in an
attempt to prevent viruses from modifying its code. A CRC check
may be added in the future if it is deemed necessary.
Zentris Contacts
If you wish to purchase a copy of Zentris, or have any
questions or comments about the game, please contact:
Robert J. Sundling
Zenithal Software, Ltd.
200 Rowe Street
Stoughton, WI 53589-2352, USA
Voice: (608) 873-8385 from 7:00 pm to 9:00 pm CST
BBS: Bob Sundling at Synergy, (608) 277-0280
Fidonet: Bob Sundling of 1:121/2000 (The Congenial Scene)
UUCP: bob.sundling@f2000.n121.z1.fidonet.org
If you represent a company interested in marketing Zentris,
please contact:
Peter Kienitz
Marketing Manager, Alpha Computers
M/S FRS-V
301 Troy Drive
Madison, WI 53704-1521, USA
Voice: (608) 244-9758
Zentris Manual (February 21, 1992) Page 1
How To Register Zentris
You may only use this program for an evaluation period of
two weeks. If you continue to use Zentris after this period, you
MUST pay for it. In exchange for the $10 fee, you get the
following:
* A license to legally use Zentris.
* The latest version of Zentris on-disk, with no time-
delayed registration messages.
* Unlimited future upgrades to Zentris, for a cost of
only $5 each (to cover the cost of a disk, disk mailer,
and postage), and notification of any major upgrades to
Zentris.
* Joystick support and a keyboard redefinition feature.
* Special discounts on other Zenithal Software products.
* My eternal thanks and friendship.
In addition, if you register Zentris by July 30, 1992, you
will be able to purchase Super Zentris (available August 1, 1992)
for only $10 (retail value: $25). Super Zentris includes:
* SuperVGA support (640x480, 800x600, and 1024x768)
* Side-to-side two-player modes, as well as modem support
* A tournament mode, for finding the BEST Zentris player
Right now, before you forget, quick grab an envelope and
write a note to:
Robert J. Sundling
Zenithal Software, Ltd.
200 Rowe Street
Stoughton, WI 53589-2352, U.S.A.
Be sure to enclose the $10 (US) registration fee, as well as
your name and address. Please specify a diskette size (5.25" or
3.5"). If no diskette size is specified, Zentris will be shipped
on a 360k 5.25" diskette. Make checks or money orders payable to
"Robert J. Sundling" (not "Zenithal Software"). Credit cards
cannot be accepted at this time.
SHIPPING: The $10 includes all shipping costs for areas
within the United States. Overseas purchasers must add $5 for
the additional shipping costs.
Zentris Manual (February 21, 1992) Page 2
The History of Zentris
Zentris was inspired by a similar game of falling-blocks,
which shall not be mentioned here. Zentris was created because
this wondrous concept was to date implemented in a rather poor
way, with low-quality graphics or unconventional controls.
Zentris is an attempt to provide this concept in a wonderful
and beautiful way. I believe it has been a success.
System Requirements
Zentris requires an 80x86 computer running DOS with a VGA,
MCGA, 8514/A, or compatible graphics adapter. A mouse or
joystick is optional but not required. Approximately 512K of
free memory is required, the exact amount varies.
The Nature of Zentris
Zentris is, quite simply, a game. The object of this game
is to arrange falling pieces so that they fill up complete rows
which then disappear. After every twenty rows, a new level is
reached and the pieces fall faster.
Every time a piece stops falling or a row is completed, the
player scores points. The exact number of points depends on the
speed at which the player drops the pieces--the faster the piece
is dropped, the more points the player gets.
Playing Zentris
Pieces fall at a certain speed for each level. The pieces
fall faster on higher levels. The player may move the pieces
left and right, may rotate the pieces, or may instantly drop the
pieces (effectively speeding up gravity until the piece hits
another or the bottom).
The following keys are available for manipulating the
pieces:
[Left] Move the piece to the left
[Right] Move the piece to the right
[5] or [Space] Rotate the piece
[Down], [Enter], [Ins] Drop the piece
It is recommended that a player use the numeric keypad when
playing with keyboard controls, for all the necessary keys are
grouped relatively close together.
Zentris Manual (February 21, 1992) Page 3
Additionally, a Microsoft-compatible mouse may be used to
play. A two button mouse works best, although if a three-button
mouse is fully two-button compatible, it will work as well. A
Microsoft-compatible trackball may also be used.
When playing with a mouse, a player may do the following:
Move mouse left Move the piece left
Move mouse right Move the piece right
Click left button Rotate the piece
Click right button Drop the piece
Many people find playing with a mouse to be easier than
using a keyboard, I myself included.
If you have paid for Zentris, your version will have support
for a joystick device. The following actions can be used:
Move stick left Move the piece left
Move stick right Move the piece right
Press button Rotate the piece
Stick down Drop the piece
Joystick Calibration
If you have registered Zentris, and have a joystick device,
when the game first begins you will be presented with an option
to calibrate your joystick.
When directed to do so, center your joystick and press
ENTER. After this, you will be asked to move your joystick to
all four corners. Do so, and press ENTER again. Your joystick
is calibrated.
You might wonder why joystick calibration is necessary.
There are many different models of joysticks available, and there
are often subtle differences in different models. Calibration
allows Zentris to extract the full potential from your joystick.
Also, you may press [J] at any time during the game to
recalibrate your joystick if it becomes misaligned. You may also
need to do this if you switch your computer out of (or into)
"Turbo" mode.
If you wish to not use the joystick, simply press ESC at the
calibration screen. You may also turn the joystick on and off
during the game by pressing [J].
Zentris Manual (February 21, 1992) Page 4
Invocation Options
If your VGA system is not 100% compatible with a standard
VGA, simply invoke Zentris with the /f command line parameter.
The /f must be in lowercase. For example, instead of typing just
"zentris" at your DOS prompt, type:
zentris /f
This will override the check for VGA/MCGA hardware. Please
note that Zentris may not operate correctly with such incompat-
ible VGA hardware.
Keyboard Redefinition
If you have registered Zentris, you will be provided with an
option to redefine the keyboard at the beginning of the game.
This allows you to use alternate keys for playing, rather than
the standard keyboard layout.
To redefine the keyboard, press [ENTER] at this prompt. If
you'd rather just use the normal keys, press [ESC]. The keys you
select will be in effect until you exit Zentris.
To select keys for a certain action, press them at the
appropriate prompts. Zentris allows you to select several
different keys for each of the possible actions, so press up to
five keys at each prompt. Once you are finished with that
action, simply press [ESC].
For example, suppose you wanted the [G] key to move the
piece left. When Zentris asks you to press the key(s) for "Piece
Left", press [G] and then press [ESC]. Please note that you
would then not be able to use the left arrow key to move the
piece to the left, and you would have to use the [G] key instead.
If you wished to be able to use either [G] or [LEFT] to move the
piece to the left, do the following. Instead of pressing [ESC]
right after [G], press the [LEFT] key. Then press [ESC]. That
indicates to Zentris that both of those keys should mean "move
the piece to the left."
Special Features
While playing the game, the following features may be
activated (or inactivated) by pressing the appropriate keys.
[N] "Next Piece" display toggle. This display,
on the right side of the screen, indicates
the type of piece that will be coming next.
It is often useful for planning ahead.
Zentris Manual (February 21, 1992) Page 5
[S] "Stats" display toggle. This display, on the
left side of the screen, indicates the number
of pieces of each type the player has re-
ceived. Although there is little point to
such a display, it is a matter of interest
for some people.
[L] "Level" display toggle. This display, on the
left side of the screen, shows your current
level and the number of lines you've
completed so far.
[G] "Gray scale" toggle. If you prefer to work
in black and white, this function toggles the
screen from color to shades of gray.
[Esc] Shell to DOS. Pressing ESC places you in a
DOS shell, where you may perform normal DOS
tasks. This is useful if, for example, your
boss walks into the room and you don't want
him/her to know that you're playing a game.
Type "EXIT" and press [Enter] from a DOS
prompt to return to Zentris.
[R] Redraw the display screen. This is often
useful if you're using pop-up TSR programs
that can leave untidy "droppings".
[P] Pause the game. If you have to answer the
telephone, or simply want to stop playing for
a while, press this key. Any other key
resumes play from where you left off.
[F2] Sound on/off. When sound is off, clicks will
be heard instead of beeps.
[C] Clock toggle on/off. If you often play
Zentris late at night, this feature can be
useful for telling you when you need to go to
bed.
[I] Initials on/off. REGISTERED VERSION ONLY.
For those of you who have purchased Zentris,
pressing this key during the game allows you
to place your initials on all of the pieces.
[J] Joystick calibration. REGISTERED VERSION
ONLY. See the section of this manual titled
"Joystick calibration."
[Q] [X] Quit. This function allows you to quit
Zentris Manual (February 21, 1992) Page 6
Zentris and return to your operating system.
Answer [Y]es to the "Quit?" query to exit.
[F1] [?] [H] Help. Display a help screen summarizing the
available keys.
Compatibility
Zentris is fully compatible with the DESQView operating
environment and can operate in background windows and virtual
screens. Zentris should be given approximately 512k of memory,
it may or may not operate in less.
Zentris can operate under Microsoft Windows, although the
mouse may not function in the game. Give Zentris about 512k of
memory in its PIF file--although it may work in a bit less.
Experiment.
Keep an eye out for "Zentris for Windows"--coming sometime
in late 1992.
New Features
New in version 1.20:
* Extended 8514/A compatibility
* New styles for pop up boxes and row erasure
* Enhanced joystick support for registered version
* /f parameter for incompatible VGA systems
* Clock feature
* Some previously undocumented keys now listed in the manual
* Support for INS key to drop pieces
New in version 1.30:
* New background screen design
* Keyboard redefinition for registered version
* Some minor changes to the manual
* Support for initials on the pieces
New in version 1.31:
* Fixed "high-scores-not-being-saved" bug (thanks, Joel!!)
* Cleaned up introduction screen (there ya go, Pete)
The Best 'Tris in the World?
I think so. And so does the nuclear engineer who originally
called it that.
But, if you have any questions or comments, please write, or
call me at home between 7:00 pm and 9:00 pm Central Standard Time
at (608) 873-8385. Sorry, I cannot take orders over the phone.
Zentris Manual (February 21, 1992) Page 7
Alphabetical Index
/f . . . . . . . . . . . 5, 7 pause . . . . . . . . . . . 6
BBS . . . . . . . . . . . . 1 quit . . . . . . . . . . 6, 7
checks . . . . . . . . . . 2 redraw . . . . . . . . . . 6
clock . . . . . . . . . . 6, 7 registration . . . . . . . 2
DESQView . . . . . . . . 1, 7 requirements . . . . . . . 3
drop . . . . . . . . 3, 4, 7 rotate . . . . . . . . . 3, 4
Fidonet . . . . . . . . . . 1 shell to DOS . . . . . . . 6
gray scale . . . . . . . . 6 sound . . . . . . . . . . . 6
initials . . . . . . . . 6, 7 stats . . . . . . . . . . . 6
invocation options . . . . 5 Super Zentris . . . . . . . 2
joystick . . . . . 2-4, 6, 7 SuperVGA . . . . . . . . . 2
keyboard . . . . . . . 2-5, 7 trackball . . . . . . . . . 4
level . . . . . . . . . . 3, 6 upgrades . . . . . . . . . 2
money orders . . . . . . . 2 UUCP . . . . . . . . . . . 1
mouse . . . . . . . . 3, 4, 7 viruses . . . . . . . . . . 1
next piece . . . . . . . . 5
Zentris Manual (February 21, 1992) Page 8
