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ReadMe.txt
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1998-06-27
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257 lines
-------------------------------------
-- WinTileFall v1.0 --
-- --
-- by Adam Dawes --
-- --
-- 26th June, 1998 --
-------------------------------------
Copyright (C) 1997/98, Adam Dawes
Please note: This file is also available in HTML format, in the same folder
as this text file. If you have the capability for viewing HTML files, you
should use the HTML version of this document instead.
WELCOME
=======
Welcome to WinTileFall! This version of Tile Fall is the third platform for
which the game has been developed (the others being the Psion 3a/c and the
Amiga). The game has already built up a cult following on the other
platforms, and the Psion version has received rave reviews. Now it is the
PC's turn to enjoy this challenging and addictive game.
The game itself is very simple to play, but to get the most from it you
should read this documentation. Once you understand how the scoring system
works, you will be able to compete with your friends to see who is the best
Tile Fall player around.
Before I start, I would just like to mention that this game is "FiverWare".
The program is supplied for your enjoyment and is completely uncrippled;
however, if you enjoy the game and find yourself playing it a lot, you should
send me 5 UK Pounds (or the equivalent amount in your own currency) to say
thanks for the game. Full information can be found in the "Registering"
section below. Thank you!
How to play Tile Fall
=====================
Tile Fall is a deceptively simple game. It looks so simplistic, yet after
playing it for a while you'll find that there's more to it than meets the
eye. It's also worryingly addictive.
The object of the game is to remove as many tiles from the playing area as
possible. As you move the mouse over the tiles, connected groups of the
same tile will become highlighted. All the highlighted tiles will be
removed when you click the mouse button.
The main strategy of the game is to remove as many tiles in a single group
as you possible can. The scoring system (see below) dramatically rewards
you when you remove large numbers of tiles at once. Small number of tiles
will score very little, or even nothing.
As tiles are removed, tiles above will fall down to fill the space left. If
you manage to remove all the tiles from a column, the tiles to the right
will be pushed over to join with the remaining tiles.
The game continues until there aren't any sets of 2 or more tiles of the
same type left in the game.
If you make a mistake whilst playing, you can undo the last move that you
made. However, you can only undo just one move at a time, so be careful
where you click!
Configuring Tile Fall
=====================
You can set Tile Fall to use from 2 to 5 tiles on the game area, and set
the area size (small, medium or large). The more tiles you have in play,
the more difficult the game is (it's very shallow with just 2 tiles, 4 and
5 tiles start to make it interesting). For a quicker game, select one of
the smaller game sizes.
Scoring
=======
The scoring system may at first seem complicated, but it's really very
easy..
Tile Fall first subtracts 2 from the number of tiles removed in a single
click. It then squares the result and adds it to your score. So:
Tiles removed Points scored
2 0 (!)
3 1
4 4
5 9
6 16
7 25
8 36
9 49
10 64
... ...
As you can see, adding just a single tile to the number removed in one
click significantly increases the score gained from the tiles. So try to
remove as many tiles in one go as you can! Also note that removing a group
of 2 tiles doesn't actually score any points at all. If you can avoid
removing groups of 2, then try to do so...
While you are playing, Tile Fall will display the value of the currently
highlighted blocks on the status line at the bottom of the screen. You can
use this to see how much the tiles are actually worth before you remove
them from the game.
When the game is finished, some other adjustments are made to calculate
your final score. The number of tiles left is subtracted from your score.
If you managed to clear *all* the tiles, you'll get a 1000 point bonus.
High Scores
===========
All high scores are automatically saved to disk, and will still be in the
game the next time you start it up.
Each of the combinations of game size and numbers of tiles has its own high
score table. So there are 12 high score tables in total: small game with 2
types of tile, small game with 3 types of tile, etc.etc. You will
automatically have high scores added to the appropriate table, and if you
select to view the high scores, you'll see the table for the currently
selected game combination.
The format used for saving highscores is exactly the same as that used on
the Amiga and Psion versions of the game, and so the high score files are
completely interchangeable. The high score file on the Windows version of
the game is called "TileFall.scr", and will normally be found in the same
directory as the Tile Fall executable resides.
Registering Tile Fall
=====================
Tile Fall is "FiverWare". It is supplied as a completely uncrippled piece
of software, which is designed for your enjoyment. However, if you find
yourself playing the game a lot, you should register the software with me.
Registration costs 5 UK Pounds, or the equivalent in your own currency
(10 US dollars, DM15, 50 French Francs, etc.) Money can be sent either as
cash, or as a cheque in UK Pounds Sterling. I am happy to accept your
country's native cash if you are unable to send UK currency. If sending
cash, please try to surround the money with coloured paper so that the
contents of the envelope is not obvious without first opening it.
Your registration should be sent to the following address:
Adam Dawes
47 Friar Road
Brighton
BN1 6NH
ENGLAND
Please do consider registering if you like Tile Fall; 5 pounds is a small
price to pay. The availability of future pieces of software will depend
to a certain extent on the response from Tile Fall. My sincere thanks in
advance.
The Official Tile Fall Mailing List
===================================
Due to popular demand, the Official Tile Fall Mailing List is now
available! Discussion topics range from possible new Tile Fall features,
through scoring tactics and mathematical probabilities, up to highscore
postings.
If you are interested in joining the list, send an email message to Nick
Waterman, the list administrator, at "nick@leonet.co.uk". He will send you
details of how to join the list. Details can also be found at
http://www.leonet.co.uk/~nick/tilefall/
Speak to you there!
Contacting the Author
=====================
If you like Tile Fall, have found a bug, or have suggestions for its
future, please contact me! I can be contacted via electronic mail or snail
mail. I can't promise to reply quickly to snail mail, but I will always do
my best to reply to email messages.
InterNet:
Adam@electrolyte.demon.co.uk
http://www.electrolyte.demon.co.uk
Snail Mail:
Adam Dawes
47 Friar Road
Brighton
BN1 6NH
ENGLAND
History/Future
==============
v1.0 (26.6.98)
Initial public release.
Planned improvements to Tile Fall:
- Proper integrated online help
- Option to switch the sound-effects on and off
- Multiple tileset graphics
- Highscore merging facility, so you can really compete with your friends!
New versions of Tile Fall will be released to my web site, as detailed in
the "Contacting the Author" section above.
System Requirements
===================
Tile Fall should run on any PC with Windows 95, Windows NT or (presumably)
Windows 98. No third-party files or libraries are required. Tile Fall has
very low memory and hard-drive requirements, and should work on any machine
capable of running one of the required operating systems.
Legal stuff...
==============
I will not accept responsibility for any damage done to your system, or
data lost, directly or indirectly, as a result from using this program or
any of its associated files. You use the program entirely at your own risk.
Of course if you *do* experience problems then I'll do what I can to sort
them out, and please let me know so that I can try to cure them in a future
release.
Tile Fall and its associated files are not public domain. They may be
distributed freely as long as no unreasonable charge is imposed. They may
not be included within any commercial package without express written
permission from the author.