CD Action 6 A/cdactioncoverdisc/pckit/readme.uk_/readme.uk

Text File | 1996-08-30 | 20KB | 655 lines

Pinball Construction Kit pre-beta demo - guidelines


1. Introduction.

Welcome to the demo version of Pinball Construction Kit.  With
this demo, you will be able to put together a basic working
pinball table and be playing it within minutes, even though the
demo doesn't provide the full power of the complete product!

The demo is very easy and straightforward to use, but if you
prefer to familiarize yourself with the various features before
you start, please read through the following guidelines.

N.B. The Workshop part of this demo is currently undergoing an
extensive re-implementation which will provide the full game
with more options and make it much easier to use.  Please see
the accompanying .pcx screenshot for details.


2. Running the demo.

There are two parts to the demo:

(a) Using the Workshop to build and play pinball tables
(b) Playing the supplied example pinball table

To start making your own pinball tables, simply double click on
the "Pinball Construction Kit" icon.

To play the example table, double click on the "Play Me!" icon.
Once the table appears on-screen, click the "New Game" button and
then use the following keys to play:

Key            Action

Down arrow     Pull spring
Left shift     Flip left flipper
Right shift    Flip right flippers
Space bar      Nudge table
ESC/F2         Pause, access Quit/continue/restart options

Our game recorder facility is included in the demo.  You can use
it to record games you play on the example table, or tables of
your own design.

To record a game:

i.   Load the table you wish to play
ii.  Click the "Record" button.
iii. Type in a filename for the recording and press ENTER
iv.  Play your game

To playback a recorded game:

i.   Load the relevant table
ii.  Click the "Play" button.
iii. Select the recording file you wish to playback
iv.  Click the "OK" button
v.   If required, use the F6 and F8 keys to slow down or speed up
     the playback, and press F7 to resume normal playback speed

You can stop recording or playing back a game by pressing the
F11 key.


3. The main menu.

Once the demo is started a box will appear containing
availability information for the full product.  Click the "OK"
button to close the box and show the main menu.

You now have five options:

(a) Play a table

    Selecting this option will allow you to play the supplied
    example table via the Workshop.  Simply select the
    "play_me.tbx" file and click the "OK" button.  Use the keys
    as outlined above to play the table.


(b) Modify a table

    Selecting this option will allow you to load the example
    table into the Workshop and then change it.  Simply select
    the "play_me.tbx" file and click the "OK" button to start.


(c) Create a table

    Selecting this option will display the table loader - simply
    click the OK button to load in the "On Manoeuvres - 1" table
    (the only table featured in the demo)

(d) Game options

    This option is unavailable in the demo.

(e) Exit

    Select this option to exit the demo.


4. The Workshop.

On the left of the Workshop window you will see the "On
Manoeuvres - 1" table.  Depending on whether you opted to create
a new pinball table or modify a pinball table, the "On Manoeuvres
- 1" table will be empty or crammed full of objects, lights,
decals, etc.  This is where you'll actually put together your
pinball table, or edit an existing one.

Above the table you will see five drop-down menus, "File",
"Options", "Edit", "Window" and "Help".  These are used to access
various Workshop features/utilities, as explained later.

On the right-hand side of the window you'll see three icons
"New", "Disk" and "Play".  These icons are used for quick access
to the most used features of the Workshop.

The Object Catalogue display window appears underneath the three
icons.  This is where you can view all the objects available in
the graphics library and choose which ones to use on your tables.

Right at the bottom are eight object icons, one for each type of
object that you will use to create your pinball tables.  They are
used to access each group of objects.


5. Using the Workshop to create and edit tables.

The best way to learn about the Workshop is to use it!
There are only a few things you'll need to do to be playing your
own pinball table within minutes:

i.   select the objects you want to use
ii.  place them on the table
iii. set the properties (score, etc) for the objects
iv.  start playing!

Use the following guidelines to try out the many features the
demo has to offer:


(a) Table objects.

The following objects are available in the demo:

i.    Jet bumpers

      These are circular bumpers which award points each time the
      ball touches them.  Once the ball has hit a jet it will be
      repelled away at high speed so beware!

ii.   Kicker bumpers

      These are triangular bumpers which are usually found just
      above the flippers.  They will award points each time the
      ball hits them.  Like jets, kickers have a habit of
      deflecting the ball away at high speeds.

iii.  Rollover switches

      These are small switches which poke through the surface of
      a pinball table.  They are shown as vertical metal-coloured
      lines and can have a light below them.  You enable them
      and/or their lights and enable/collect points, bonuses or
      features whenever the ball rolls over them.

iv.   Drop targets

      These are simple switches which are built-in to solid
      sections of a pinball table - an example of a solid section
      would be a side wall.  The switch usually has a light in
      front of it, which can contain a letter.  Hitting the
      switch with the ball "drops" it and turns on the light,
      which can enable or collect points, bonuses or features.

v.    Touch pads

      These are similar to drop targets, but instead of dropping
      when hit, they simply move in and then out, much like a key
      on your keyboard.

vi.   Lights

      These are used to indicate where the player of your pinball
      table should try to shoot the ball, and also to show him
      which features are enabled or have been collected.

      Lights can contain text messages or simply letters of the
      alphabet.

vii.  Decal stickers

      These are simply decorative stickers which you can place
      virtually anywhere on your pinball table.

viii. Pins

      These are small metal poles with rubber rings around them
      which can be placed to deflect the ball away or towards
      other areas of your pinball table.


(b) How to select objects.

To select an object, simply click on its associated icon.  This
will open the group for that object and display the first object
of the group in the Catalogue window.

If you'd like to see the smaller objects in more detail, use the
drop-down menu for the "zoom" feature just above the Catalogue
window to enlarge them.  You can enlarge objects up to a factor
of 8, or set the "auto zoom" feature on, which will automatically
enlarge any objects that you display in the window.  Please note
that the zoom feature will not enlarge objects any bigger than
the window allows, and so some of the larger objects will not
change in size when zoomed in on.

To see the other similar objects on offer use the slider bar
and/or arrow buttons underneath the Catalogue window to scroll
through the group.

Once you have opened a group of objects, you will see a zone (or
zones) appear on the pinball table.  These zones will be in
colour and indicate the areas of the table in which you can use
the objects you currently have opened.


(c) How to position an object on the table.

To position an object on the table, simply display it in the
Catalogue window and then use the mouse to position it on the
table.

You are only allowed to position objects inside the zones shown
on the pinball table.  If you attempt to position an object
outside a zone, on top of another object or on a raised part of
the table, it will turn white indicating that you cannot place
the object at that position.


(d) How to fix an object in place.

Once you have selected a valid position to place your object,
just press the left mouse button to place it.


(e) How to reposition an object.

To move a placed object to a new position, simply point at it and
click the left mouse button.  Now move the object to its new
position and set it down as before.


(f) How to delete an object.

To remove an object from the table, simply point at it, click the
left mouse button and then press the "Delete" key.  You can also
point at the object, click the left mouse button, click on
"Edit", and then click the "Delete" option from the drop-down
menu.


(g) Copying objects.

If you've placed an object on your table and want to add another
of the same object, the quickest way to do this is to copy the
placed object.

To do this, point at the object you want to copy and double-click
the left mouse button - a copy of the object will appear under
your mouse pointer which you can position and place as before.


(h) Object properties.

Once you have placed an object, you can set the properties for
it.  You can set or change the following properties:

i. Score

This indicates how many points to add to the score counter when
the object is hit by the ball.

ii. Bonus

This indicates how many points to add to the bonus score counter
when the object is hit by the ball.

iii. Sound effect

This indicates which sound effect to play when the object is hit
by the ball.

iv. Light colour

This indicates which colour the light associated with the object
should be.

v. Light letter

This indicates which letter should appear on the light associated
with the object.

vi. Feature

This indicates which game feature should be associated with the
object.

vii. Feature type

This indicates whether the game feature associated with the
object should be enabled or collected when the object is hit by
the ball.

viii. Light ID

This indicates which game feature will set the light on, off or
flashing.

ix. Mirror X

This allows the object to be "flipped" over in the x-plane.

x. Mirror Y

This allows the object to be "flipped" over in the y-plane.

xi. Rotate

This allows the object to be rotated through 90, 180 or 270
degrees.


(i) Accessing object properties.

To access an object's properties, point at it and click the right
mouse button.  An "Object Properties" window will appear
containing only the properties that are relevant to the object
(i.e. a light would not have a score property, for example).


(j) Changing an object's properties.

Once an object's property window has been opened, to change a
property simply highlight it and then use the drop-down menu
(accessed by clicking on the down arrow button positioned above
the top righthand corner of the properties box) to display a
choice of settings.  Click on a setting to assign it to the
current property.

N.B. When changing the score, bonus and light letter properties,
you can manually enter a number or letter into the dialogue box
instead of having to pick one from the drop-down menu.


(k) Playing your pinball table.

The Workshop allows you to test your pinball table at any time.
To play, simply click on the "play" icon at the top of the
Workshop window on the right (the icon contains an image of the
lower half of a pinball table).

Use the controls as outlined near the start of this document to
play your table.


(l) Creating more than one pinball table.

If you have created a pinball table and/or would like to start
work on another, simply click on the "New" icon at the top of the
Workshop window on the right.  Be aware that if you do this, you
will lose your current pinball table for good as there is not a
table save option in the demo.

You can now load in the "On Manoeuvres - 1" table layout as
before and start work on another table.


6. Hints and tips.

One of the best ways of learning how the game features work with
the objects is to choose the "modify a pinball table" option and
then look at the properties for each of the objects.

Here are some points to remember and things to try out:

(a) Make sure that when you set up a game feature to be enabled,
    you provide some means of being able to collect it as well!

(b) Many game features have accompanying lights - use these
    lights to indicate to your players which features are
    available during play.

(c) It is easy to set up a single touch pad, drop-target or
    rollover switch etc, to enable or collect a game feature each
    time the pad, target or switch is hit, but how can you set up
    "banks" of these objects (i.e. more than one object) to
    enable or collect a single game feature?

    It's simple - just place the objects on the table and set all
    of their properties to either enable or collect, as before.
    The game will automatically detect that more than one of
    these objects has to be hit before the game feature can be
    enabled or collected.


7. "On Manoeuvres" table feature descriptions.

Some of the features that you can set up in your pinball tables
are named such that it is obvious what they do once enabled or
collected.  Some however, have "customised" names.  The following
notes explain what these features do:

(a) Thousands Plus.

This feature awards 10,000 points the first time you collect it.
Once you've collected the award, a 10 second timer starts.  If
you can collect the award again before the timer runs out you
will collect 10,000 points more than you did last time you
collected the award, and the timer will start counting again.

If you do not collect the award before the timer runs out, the
award will drop by 10,000 points to a minimum of 10,000 points.

You should try to beat the timer each time and collect the top
award of 50,000 points.


(b) Millions Plus.

This feature works in exactly the same way as the Thousands Plus
feature, except that the award goes up (or down) in steps of
1,000,000 points each time (the minimum award is 1,000,000
points, and the maximum is 6,000,000 points).


(c) Bonus Plus.

This feature will award the following in succession:

i.   Bonus Held (stops the bonus score counter from reseting when
     you lose the current ball)
ii.  Double Bonus (doubles the bonus score)
iii. Score+Bonus (doubles your score and adds the bonus score to
     it)
iv.  Extra Ball
v.   15,000,000 points


(d) Ramp Bonus.

This bonus is awarded for shooting ramps set numbers of times:

Shoot  5 ramps to collect 100,000 points
Shoot 10 ramps to collect Bonus Held
Shoot 20 ramps to collect 5,000,000 points
Shoot 30 ramps to collect an Extra Ball


(e) Compass Point Passage.

This is the passage in the top left corner of the table.  It
awards 100,000 points when hit and rotates the compass point
arrow (where the two ramps intersect) one position clockwise.

Whenever the ball enters the compass point, it will be shot out
in the direction of the arrow.


(f) The passages.

The passages are basically the ramps.

Shoot the North passage (top ramp) to collect 20,000 points and
increase the award by 2,000 points

Shoot the South passage (middle ramp) to collect 100,000 points
and increase the award by 10,000 points

Shoot the East passage (right ramp) to collect 40,000 points and
increase the award by 6,000 points

Shoot the West passage (left ramp) to collect 60,000 points and
increase the award by 8,000 points


(g) Manoeuvres Mania.

This feature awards the following in succession:

i.   5,000,000 points
ii.  Double Bonus
iii. 10,000,000 points
iv.  Extra Ball
v.   Sets all ramps to award 2,000,000 points for a 30 second
     period
vi.  Adds 15 seconds to the ramp award time (above)


8. Summary of main drop-down menu options.

Here's a run-down of the features of the drop-down menus - please
note that only some of these features are available in the demo.

Remember - the best way to see what the available features do is
to experiment with them!

(a) File menu.

i. New

   Used to load table layouts into the Workshop (only "On
   Manoeuvres - 1" table layout available in the demo)

ii. Open

    Used to load saved tables into the Workshop (only the
    example table available in the demo)

iii. Save

     Allows tables to be saved (not available in the demo)

iv. Save As

    Allows tables to be saved with different names (not
    available in the demo)

v. Create Icon

   Creates an icon for the current table so that it can be
   loaded and played in either Windows or DOS (full screen
   mode) without the use of the Workshop (not available in
   the demo)

vi. Play

    Allows the current table to be tested or played

vii. Exit

     Exits the demo


(b) Edit menu.

i. Cut

   Allows objects to be picked up from the table

ii. Copy

    Allows objects to be duplicated

iii. Paste

     Allows objects to be placed onto the table

iv. Delete

    Deletes the object being held

v. Table Properties

   Allows various table properties to be viewed and/or changed

vi. Object Properties

    Allows the properties of the current object to be viewed
    and/or changed

vii. Table Graphics

     Allows table graphics to be imported or exported and the
     existing table bed art to be cleared prior to graphics
     import (not available in the demo)

viii. Export Object Graphics

      Allows object graphics to be exported to a file or the
      clipboard (not available in the demo)

ix. Object Graphics Editor

    Allows new jet bumpers, kicker bumpers and decals to be
    defined and added to the graphics library (not available in
    the demo)


(c) Options menu.

i. Music

   Allows the Workshop music to be toggled on/off (a tick to the
   left of "Music" indicates that the music is toggled "on".

ii. Sound card type

    Allows toggling of FM chip or Wavetable sound card support

iii. Thrustmaster

     Toggles Pinball Wizzard Controller support on/off (just plug
     them in, toggle the support "on" and play!)

iv. Game options

    Allows the game option settings to be viewed and changed if
    required.  An extra option is available here which allows you
    to change the contrast of the greying-out in order to clarify
    the object zones on a pinball table


(d) Window menu.

i. Pinball table

   Activates the pinball table window controls

ii. Objects

    Activates the group of objects icons

iii. Catalogue

     Activates the object Catalogue window controls

iv. View table

    Allows the current table to be viewed in full colour with no
    object zones


(e) Help menu.

i. Contents

   Opens the help document and displays the contents page (not
   available in the demo)

ii. About

     Displays general publisher and developer information

*****************************************************************

Pinball Construction Kit (c) 1996 21st Century Entertainment Ltd.
Developed by Spidersoft Ltd.

*****************************************************************