Game-A-Roma/99_GAMES_ONE_DISC.ISO/help/spuzzle.doc

Text File | 1994-08-22 | 14KB | 271 lines

                        ┌───────────────────────────┐
                        │ Super Puzzle version 1.22 │
                        ├───────────────────────────┤
                        │        written by         │
                        │       Renier Crause       │
                        ╘═══════════════════════════╛

┌─────────────────────────┐
│ Introduction            │
╘═════════════════════════╛
  Like so many of the other PC programmers out there, I started my
  computer experience with a ZX Spectrum.  I was lucky, because I had a
  48k Spectrum, and I had hundreds of games.  One of my favourite games
  was a puzzle-like game called Split Personalities.  When a first got my
  PC I started searching for a similar game, but couldn't find one.  As my
  programming skills improved, and as I got new hardware like a SVGA and
  SoundBlaster, I remembered the old ZX game, and thought it should be
  fairly easy to program.  So I did it!  Welcome to Super Puzzle !!!

  I once read it's good etiquette to all licence and copyright notices
  at the bottom of the document. So please look down there about how much
  this brilliant game will cost you, and how you can get the money to me.

┌─────────────────────────┐
│ Requirements            │
╘═════════════════════════╛
  As I wrote the game only for my own enjoyment, and only for my own
  hardware, you may find the hardware requirements a bit stiff!  As I am
  now releasing the game to the public, I will start working on a new
  version which should work on a 512k SVGA with XMS installed.
    - 80286 CPU or higher.
    - 640K RAM (600k free).
    - VESA compliant SVGA graphics card with 1024k memory installed.
    - SoundBlaster if sound is desired.

  From version 1.1 Super Puzzle can now be run with a 512k SVGA plus
  512k free XMS memory.

┌─────────────────────────┐
│ Object of the Game      │
╘═════════════════════════╛
  This is the really simple part.  All you have to do is complete the
  puzzle, by sliding the pieces to their correct location, before your
  time runs out.  The faster you do it, the greater your score.  The only
  catch is that the pieces don't slide one block at a time, but to the
  end of the line.  If that last sentence doesn't make a great deal of
  sense I'm sure you'll understand once you have played the game.

┌─────────────────────────┐
│ How to play             │
╘═════════════════════════╛
  In the top left hand corner of the playing field, called the "table"
  is a gray block with a big arrow drawn on it.  This is called the "den"
  and that is where all the pieces (not on the table) are stored, much like
  a deck of cards.  The color of the arrow gives you an indication as to what
  is going on inside the den.  If the arrow is yellow, it means that there
  are still some pieces inside.  When it is red it means you cursor is
  currently in the den together with some pieces.  A gray arrow means there
  are no more pieces left, and the shade of gray becomes darker while the
  cursor is also in the den.

  The cursor is a red rectangle when it is on the table.  This is what you
  use to move the pieces around.  You start my placing the cursor inside
  the den and then throwing the first piece out in the direction of the
  arrow.  This piece will come to land at the right edge of the table.
  Now you can throw out more pieces, or you can move your cursor onto the
  pieces already on the table and throw them around.  Actually very simple.

  Along the edges of the table are 3 doors which open and close randomly.
  If you throw any piece through this door they will disappear from the
  table and reappear inside the den.  The den in not exactly like a deck
  of cards because it is shuffled all the time.

  On the right side of the screen, is a small picture showing the completed
  puzzle.  If you move you cursor onto a piece this window will show you
  where the correct location of the highlighted piece is.

  Just below this window is a smaller window indicating which special
  weapon is currently active.  More about that later in the document.

  When the puzzle is complete, you will receive a bonus score according to
  the time remaining and then the next level will be loaded.  Then it is all
  the same again, except maybe your time won't be quite as much as in the
  previous level.

┌─────────────────────────┐
│ Keyboard controls       │
╘═════════════════════════╛
  The game can only be controlled by the keyboard for a few reasons.  Firstly
  all PC owners have keyboards, that's rather obvious.  Some might have a
  keyboard like mine where some keys have to be hit very hard to work, but
  they still own a keyboard.  Secondly a mouse would be rather impractical
  for this type of game.  Thirdly I really hate my joystick, so I never
  play games with it, and this game was written for myself to play.

  Here comes the easy controls:

    Up,Down,Left,Right : Moves the cursor around the table and
                         into the den.

    Shift + Cursors    : Throws the piece under the cursor in the
                         appropriate direction.

    Space              : Activates the special pieces under the
                         cursor or if no special piece then it
                         fires your active special weapon on the
                         pieces in question.  See "Special Pieces"
                         heading for more information.

    Esc                : Quits to the title screen, after confirmation.

┌─────────────────────────┐
│ Special Pieces          │
╘═════════════════════════╛
  Together with your puzzle pieces, you may also encounter cyan squares
  with a icon on them.  These are called "special pieces".  Some take
  an immediate effect, while other are "special weapons" which becomes
  active until you activate a new weapon, or until the end of the game
  of course.

  Here follows a description of the pieces that act immediately:

    Time-Up   :  This weapon is indicated with a clock and a arrow that is
                 pointing upwards.  When you press fire on this piece, it
                 would increase your time-left with an considerable amount.

    Time-Down : Indicated by a clock and an arrow pointing downwards, this
                pieces decreases you time-left.  This is actually a negative
                piece.

    Score-Up  : This weapon, with the gold plaque with a number on it, would
                increase your score with the amount shown on the plaque.
                Easy money this one.

  Here follows a list of the special weapons available, (not all are
  available from the start, some only comes in later levels).  Most
  special weapons only have a limited amount available.

    Grenade    : The weapon with the picture of a handgrenade, give you 5
                 grenades to bomb pieces from the table.  If you press the
                 fire button on a normal puzzle piece, while your active
                 weapon is the grenade, that piece would blowup, and the
                 reappear inside the den, to be thrown out at a later stage.
                 This can be helpful when a piece is in the wrong position,
                 and it would be too difficult to move it to the correct
                 one, or if a piece is in your way.

    Key        : The key is used to open or close the doors on the edges.
                 The weapon piece with the key picture gives you 5 keys. The
                 doors normally open and close randomly all the time, but
                 when you press fire while the key is active, all the doors
                 will switch to the alternative condition.  That is, all
                 open doors will close and all closed doors will open.  But
                 beware the doors will keep on switching randomly, so you
                 better act fast after you used the key.  This can be helpful
                 to throw unwanted pieces through the doors, or to close
                 doors which seem to stay open too long.

    Mover      : This weapon piece is indicated with four blue arrows in four
                 different directions.  Pressing fire on the piece will give
                 you 5 movers.  The mover is used to move a piece only one
                 block at a time.  By pressing fire on a puzzle piece, the
                 special weapon window will change color indicating that it
                 is waiting for another key press.  Now press one of the
                 directions keys and the piece will move only one square in
                 that direction.  This is useful if a piece is next to its
                 correct position, but there isn't another piece in that
                 direction to throw it against.

    Bomb-Squad : Indicated by a bomb with a line across, almost like a
                 no-stop sign, this piece will give you 5 bomb-squads.  This
                 special weapon only work on bombs (see below about bombs).
                 If you press fire on a bomb and the active special weapon
                 is a bomb-squad then the bomb just dissolves and everything
                 returns back to normal.  Useful if you receive that unwanted
                 bomb and no doors are easy available.

  There are also two very different pieces:

    Bomb   : The bomb, which is indicated with a stack of dynamite, is a
             very negative and dangerous piece.  Once the bomb appears on
             the table, you only have approximately 8 seconds to get it from
             the table before it blows up all the pieces on the table.  There
             are only two ways you can get rid of a bomb. One is by throwing
             it through one of the doors. If your active special weapon is a
             bomb-squad then you can also use this to destroy bombs.

    Chance : This piece, which has a question mark on it, will change into
             any of the pieces above, and then immediately activate itself.
             This could bring you good or bad pieces, so are you brave
             enough to try it?  Remember that any special pieces can only
             come once in a level (except the bomb and the chance), so
             keep track of which pieces you used already.  A piece thrown
             through the door goes in the den and can appear again.

┌─────────────────────────┐
│ High Scores             │
╘═════════════════════════╛
  Super Puzzle will store the highest 5 scores ever achieved on disk.  These
  scores and the names of the people who did it will appear on the title
  screen.  If you wish to clear these scores just delete the file named:
  "spuzzle.hsc".  Please do not try to edit this file with some clever
  binary editor just to add your name, or double your score.  The program
  does not like you editing this file and will not show the scores if it
  detects that the file has been changed.

┌─────────────────────────┐
│ License and copyright   │
╘═════════════════════════╛
  SuperPUZZLE 1.22  (C) Copyright 1994 RC-SOFT, written by Renier Crause.

  This program is copyrighted by me, Renier Crause.  That doesn't mean
  you shouldn't copy this program, in fact I order you to give this
  program to every living person you know (it would of course help, if
  the person you give it to, owns a PC).  No, this copyright means you may
  not change my program, or disassemble it without my permission.  This
  program is NOT freeware.

  This program is copyrighted under the Shareware concept.  It is not free
  software, it is rather is look first, pay later scheme.  You may freely
  copy this software (providing you include all files, including this
  document) and I actually ask you to show or give this program to everyone
  you see (heck, I've said that before so maybe it's important!).  If you
  find this program good (or likeable at least) and you continue to use it
  after 30 days, you are required send me R50 (or $25).  Please send Postal
  Orders, since cashing a foreign, personal check here is a pain, and
  exspensive.  If you do send a check, then you are required to pay $30.
  See below for my address.  After paying, you will become a registered
  user, and maybe receive free or low-cost information and updates,
  (nothing guaranteed).

┌─────────────────────────┐
│ How to contact me       │
╘═════════════════════════╛
  I would prefer you to contact me through eMail.  My internet address
  is:
      [e-mail]
      ▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀
  Yes you read correctly I'm from South-Africa, and we can actually program
  here (well some of us anyway).  If you don't have access to eMail (shame
  on you) you can also reach me at:
      R.G. Crause
      P.O. Box 38141
      Garsfontein X10
      0042 PRETORIA
      South-Africa
  PLEASE contact me if you have any comments, suggestions, wish lists,
  bug reports, hate mail etc.  I'll answer all meaningful eMail, and
  even some meaningless ones.  Sorry I can't answer any snail mail
  comments, but I can sure act on any suggestions you mailed to me.

  If you decide to register please tell me what your system looks like,
  you know stuff like which CPU, which graphics etc.  And please include
  what you thought of this program. (Also include the version number please)

  My eMail address would probably only be available until the end of 1994,
  but please still send me your eMail address, and maybe I can contact you.


---------------------------------------------------------------------------

  Thanks for reading thought this long document!

  Renier.

  (written on 17 January 1994)
  (edited for v1.1  on 12 February 1994)
  (edited for v1.22 on 24 March 1994)

----------------------------------ooOoo------------------------------------