Amiga Format 98/af098sub.adf/asteroids2.LZX/asteroids2/asteriodsii/asteriodsii.doc

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                            AsteriodsII 0.92

                     Copyright © 1992 Mike Seifert

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*                                                                            *
* Permission is hereby granted to distribute this program's archive          *
* containing the executables and documentation for non-commercial purposes   *
* so long as the archive and its contents are not modified in any way.       *
*                                                                            *
* This program may not be distributed for a profit.                          *
*                                                                            *
* Commercial use prohibited without written permission.                      *
*                                                                            *
* This program is not in the public domain.                                  *
*                                                                            *
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First, let me just say that the entire game was programmed using standard OS
routines and compiled using SAS/C 6.0, asteriodsII should run fine on a stock
500, 1000, or 2000.  The game should run fine on all AGA machines.

Here are the particulars for those interested:

- Programmed in C using SAS/C 6.2, slightly optimized using ASM.
- Tested on an A3000 with both 68040 and 68030 processors.
- Entire game was programmed using OS functions, and should multitask flawlessly.
- All image vectors are defined at runtime and stored into memory. This should
  make for faster load times for non-HD users and it allows for the quick creation
  of new graphics (such that they are).
- Some images and sounds are loaded from disk as IFF files, and can be replaced if
  you want to use your own.  All IFF disk routines were programmed using
  Commodore's iffparse.library.
- The extended AsteroidsII game is shareware and has been partially disabled to
  keep the player from going past level 5.  If you would like the fully operational
  game, just send me $10 (or $5,a disk, and postage--or just $5 if you would like
  it sent to you through internet).
- Be forwarned that the source code is bloated, kludged, and basically not very nice.
  However, it is available for some small donation ($5 or $10-- I can always be
  dealt with reasonably...)
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  NOTE: The regular asteroids game has not been disabled.
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KNOWN PROBLEMS
--------------
- Fonts MUST be in FONTS: directory, so copy them over or reassign FONTS:
- Program does not clean up after an error.  If you get an error message, its best
  just to quit the program. (I know this sucks, but I just dont feel like fixing it....)
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VERSION CHANGES
---------------

(0.80)  FIRST RELEASE VERSION

(0.81)  (unreleased)
- Pause function now multitasks.
- Internal list routines slightly optimized.

(0.85)
- Machines without FASTMEM can now run the program.  (I set a stupid compiler flag)
- Option save function added.
- Definable key codes added (with save option).
- Player ship release routine has been improved to eliminate frustrating instant
  deaths.  (Youll still have to deal with the saucer fire, though.)
- Three difficulty levels have been added to make the game easier for the beginner.
  These levels only control the asteroid speeds, and no one should keep the level
  below one.  In future revisions, the high score list will display the play level.

(0.90)
- Added vector graphics to speed up load time and lower the mass of image files.
- Added a different image for player 2.
- Program now recognizes music in the background and shuts up instead of crashing.
- Star Destroyer escorts now cease to drop flotsam after the star destroyer has been
  damaged.
- Shield flotsam image has been changed due to confusion with debris.
- Hyperspace effects have been added to give visual indication of new position.
- Saucers now stop firing after they destroy a player.
- Mines no longer appear in basic game.
- Random screen glitch eliminated.
- Backspace key now works with high score list (only DEL worked before...)
- Enemy minelayers added.
- Option for the wrapping of fire around the screen added.
- Ships now drop flotsam only when destroyed.
- Program now quietly exits if fonts are not located

(0.91)
a Keystrokes are no longer echoed to active consoles on the workbench.
a Game now clears mouse pointer.
a Pause function has been adjusted.
b Keyboard key repeat has been eliminated.
b Auto fire has been added.
  (NOTE: The higher speeds of autofire will probably
         become another gained ability in later versions.)
c Fixed photon fire wrap option
c Updated help screen
c Fixed enemy ship point values
c Finally! Player release routine checks for saucer proximity.
d Asteroids now rotate
d Enemy fire rates have been adjusted
e Enemy dreadnoughts have been added (watch for their displacement weapons)
e Hyperspace problems at level end have been fixed
e Changed saucer fire image
f AGA/OS3.0 problems eliminated
g Save option omissions fixed

(0.92)
- Fully implemented M-Cruisers and X-Cruisers
- Adjusted game play considerably
- Deleted star destroyer level indefinitely
- Added autofire flotsam (removed autofire option)
- Adjusted Pause function so pause window no longer has to be active to
  read keypress
a Initial rotation input no longer cleared at level beginning
a Level limit of around 28 raised to 64.  Good enough.

(0.95 nr)
- Eliminated use of dual playfield displays for better AGA compatibility
- Recoded vector rendering routines (much faster now)
- Finally! Real machine independent timing routines.
- All OS2.0 screens supported (still a 2 bitplane limit... no color yet)
- Font independence added
- Changed Medium font to Diamond for clarity on superhires screens
- Internal image loading routine recoded using iffparse.library
- Added real error checking with requesters
  (Theoretically the game should never crash now)
a Fixed drawing beyond screen boundaries.  This should make mungwall much happier.




FUTURE ADDITIONS (to be added after version 1.x)
------------------------------------------------

-THIRD PLAYER  You can never have enough simultaneous action.  This guy will
               probably use the mouse and numeric keypad for control.

-COLOR       I may add a color option, but I dont know if Ill bother.  The
             graphics are what one might call 'functional', and thats all theyll
             ever be with my artistic abilities.

-AGA SUPPORT  If I should opt for an A4000 (instead of joining the PC world),
              I may recode some of the graphics routines to take advantage of
              the AGA's hires sprites and faster blitter.  This would allow for
              future game additions.

-MODEM SUPPORT  This would be the first step in turning this game into an X-pilot
                clone.  I definitely wouldnt attempt it alone....
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CREDITS
-------

Designed and Coded by mike seifert using SAS/C.
Thanks to Doug Walker and Michael Van Elst for answering my stupid questions.
Thanks to Chris Hames for debugging the program on AGA/OS3.0 machines.
Thanks to Jeff Bevis for giving me the much needed timing ideas.

Graphics by mike seifert using DeluxePaint 2.0.
(Truly incredible graphics...)

Game sound was from various public domain (hopefully) sources.  I havent the
money for a digitizer.   (I just had to upgrade that compiler to 6.0, and I would
do it again.) If anyone hates the sound, I would appreciate any weapon or
explosion donations...

Lets give credit where credit is due--this little game is in existance thanks to
SAS/C 6.x....  The source is not optimized in any sense of the word, (Ive
had more than one programmer say 'good god--how can this thing run as fast as
it does?')  Yet the SAS compiler has managed to make a playable game out of it.
Incredible.
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I dont feel like writing any more....  If you have any questions, just send
me internet mail:  [e-mail]

Mike Seifert
400 N. River Rd.  apt.816
West Lafayette, IN 47906
[phone]

IMPORTANT!!
These addresses are only good through April, 1993.  After I graduate in early May,
all inquiries should be sent to:

Mike Seifert
7771 W US 224
New Riegel, OH 44853
[phone]

Hopefully Ill have a another email address at that time.
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-------------------------------------------
ASTERIODSII RANDOM NOTES AND CONTRIVED PLOT
-------------------------------------------

--------------------------
Conventional Enemy Designs
--------------------------

Minelayer

Technologically unsophisitcated and cheap to produce, the enemy minelayer
is unarmed, slow, and relatively unmaneuverable.  The ship is still an
important element in enemy fleet tactics, as its store of powerful proximity
mines can severely disrupt opposing fleet maneuvers.  The combination of
high effectiveness and low cost makes the minelayer the most common warship
in the enemy inventory.


Heavy Cruiser

A mature and battle-proven design, the enemy heavy cruiser serves as the heart
of their fleet.  The balanced vessel is armed with a unique 360 degree pulse
phaser and two conventional plosma torpedo launchers, compensating for the
ship's lack of maneuverability.  With its relatively high speed and strong
defensive shielding system, the heavy cruiser is particularly well suited for
direct combat in any arena.


Light Cruiser

The first enemy vessel armed with modern phasers and plasma launchers, the
obsolete light cruiser design is only now beginning to be withdrawn from the
enemy inventory.  Underarmed and slow, the relatively high maneuverabilty of
the ship is its only saving grace.  Although recent shield refits have
extended its service life, the light cruiser is no match against modern
front line units.


Fighter

Although recent propulsion advancements have enabled fighter squadrons to enter
hyperspace, the small size of these units still severely limits their offensive
weaponry.  Armed with relatively weak direct-fire phasers, the enemy fighter
squadron is usually little more than a nuisance to a modern warship.  For this
reason, enemy tactics call for their use only against a seriously weakened
opponent.




----------------------
Advanced Enemy Designs
----------------------

Dreadnought

The enemy dreadnought is the most powerful and technologically advanced
vessel in their inventory.  With two anti-matter expanders and a
seeking displacer torpedo, the dreadnought can put more firepower into
play faster than any other enemy ship.  While its large size makes
it less maneuverable, the enemy dreadnought is quite fast and has a
huge defensive shielding system.  Currently, dreadnoughts make up less
than 2 percent of enemy fleet.


X-Cruiser

Long in development, the x-cruiser is the newest design currently
serving in the enemy fleet.  Fitted with experimental propulsion
system, it is also the fastest and most maneuverable of their vessels.
Armed with double pulse phasers and a plasma shotgun, the x-cruiser
is quite capable of standing toe-to-toe with any opponent.


M-Cruiser

Another experimental craft, the m-cruiser is the most radical design
in the fleet in that it is fitted with no offensive weaponry.  Instead
the ship has the ability to create a powerful magnetic field, capable
of sending opponents out of control.  Although relatively cheap to
produce, only a limited number of m-cruisers are being commissioned.
This is mostly due to their restricted field of operations--within
dense asteroid fields.



----------------------
Player Cruiser Designs
----------------------


Shrouded in secrecy, the high-priority Advanced Heavy Cruiser program resulted
in the design and fabrication of two prototype cruisers-- the Britannia Class
Control Cruiser, and the Lexington Class Command Cruiser.  The prototypes are
almost identical in ability, and their operation cannot be distinguished in
the game.  The XCN and XCC represent giant advances in warship technology,
and are currently the fastest, most maneuverable, and potentially the most
devastatingly armed vessels known in existance.  They are the only cruisers
to possess local hyperspace navigation computers, and have shield capacitors
with unlimited maximum storage levels.  Under the control of an able commander,
the XCN and XCC have no equal in direct combat.

The CNX and CCX cruisers were designed to incorporate advanced
modular defensive and offensive systems.  This allows the warships
to quickly upgrade capabilities as additional energy or technologies
become available.  This flexibility is reflected in the game by
the possibility of the player increasing his shields or weaponry
through the capture of flotsam from destroyed enemy ships.

Four types of flotsam are currently implemented:

i)   Shield      -  Increases player cruiser shield level by 50 points
ii)  Weapon Type -  Increases player weapon type to a more advanced
                    design.  There are four types of offensive firepower:
                           a) Single Pulse Phaser
                           b) Double Pulse Phaser
                           c) Double Photon
                           d) Photon Shotgun
iii) Weapon Rate - Increases weapon autofire rate.
iv)  Production  - Increases player cruiser fleet by one vessel.

The accrual of these increased capablilities is the single most
important task of the player, as later levels will be impossible
to face without better firepower and shielding.  Enemy ships and
neutral saucers will drop a set number of flotsam icons until
asteroid numbers drop below some arbitrary number.


NEUTRAL SAUCERS

These alien warships appear randomly throughout the asteroid belt,
always travelling perpendicular to the standard navigation plane
of the galactic powers.  Although their objectives remain unknown,
the aliens are obviously hostile and will open fire without warning.
Their weapon technology is far more advanced than that of the galactic
powers, with each burst of fire normally capable of destroying any
conventional warship.  Their defensive systems, however, are nearly
non-existant and unable to withstand a single phaser hit.  There are
currently two known types of alien saucers: the scout saucer and the
attack saucer.  The only known operational difference between them
is that the scout appears to fire in random directions while the
attack saucer will fire in the direction of nearby warships.


----------------------------------------------------------------------------
SHIP             Vmax   Maneuver  Maximum  Direct   Seeking  Weapon    Fire
                        Rating    Shield   Weapons  Weapons  Types     Delay

Player Cruiser     6       0       200*    20(20)    20(30)  variable    0

Light Cruiser      3       1       100      3(20)    1(30)    a/d        5
Heavy Cruiser      4       3       200      5(20)    2(30)    b/d        4
Minelayer          2       2        50     ------    -----     e        ---
X-Cruiser          5       1       150     10(20)    3(30)    c/f        4
Dreadnought        5       3       250     12(20)    1(**)    g/h       10
M-Cruiser          4       2       100     ------    -----     i        ---
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WEAPON TYPE CODES

a  Single Forward Pulse Phasers
b  Single 360 Degree Pulse Phaser
c  Double Forward Pulse Phaser
d  Single Seeking Plasma Torpedo
e  Proximity Mine
f  Plasma Shotgun
g  Antimatter Expander
h  Displacer
i  Repulsor Field
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------------------------------
ATTENTION REGISTERED USERS!!!
------------------------------
Evolution to Final Version 1.0
------------------------------

With release v0.92 of AsteriodsII, the game is approaching a finalized design
course.  I need feedback from you guys about whether my design decisions are
what you would like to see in the program.  Ive decided to keep the
game fundamentally similar to the real asteroids, without adding too much
original game play.  Other than new features and bug reports, I need to know
what you would like to see in the game and what you would delete.  Ive
eliminated the star destroyer level, at least tentatively, because it makes the
game too easy and it doesnt blend in well.  Give me any enemy ship or weapon
ideas you can come up with.  This is my top priority right now, and will lead
the way for the more advanced modifications to come after version 1.0

So, give me the simple, basic, necessary additions and corrections... the next
released version will probably be 1.0.  Thanks.

Here's my simple list:

i)   Read fonts from current directory
ii)  Have separate high score lists for basic and extended games
iii) Add real error checking with requesters (whoa...)
iv)  Add enemy carriers

mike
3-20-93
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