Software of the Month Club 1995 December/SOFM_Dec1995.bin/pc/dos/games/plunderm/pmine.doc

Text File | 1995-10-31 | 35KB | 678 lines

PlunderMine v1.1 Copyright 1994 Lee Gaiteri
All Rights Reserved.

Documentation File


INTRODUCTION

    This manual assumes that you, the user, know enough about computers and
DOS to be able to copy and use the files included, and that you are familiar
with the keyboard and joystick controls normally used in games.
    You probably do, or you wouldn't be reading this manual.

Shareware

    If you're a professional shareware vendor, you'll find all information you
need in the sections "SHAREWARE INFO" and "SHAREWARE DEALERS!" below,
including my name and address, the preferred registration fee, and a short
description you can use for catalogs and/or disk labels.

Legal Technicalities

    And all users, please note that there is a disclaimer included at the end
of the manual. This is not to suggest that something is wrong with this game,
but to avoid the types of frivolous and unnecessary lawsuits that can not only
tie up the court system but wreak serious financial havoc as well. I don't
expect to be sued, but I'm not stupid enough to take chances with it, either.


SYSTEM REQUIREMENTS

* An 80286 processor or better (actually, it probably won't run on a 286)
* 256-color VGA graphics
* Joystick required for 2-player mode, optional otherwise

* Sound Blaster optional


INSTALLATION AND RUNNING THE GAME

When installing the files, you will want to copy or unZIP them into a
directory, such as C:\PMINE, C:\GAMES\PMINE, etc.
Once the files are installed, you can play the game, but remember that you
should start it from its directory. In other words, if you were to set this up
from Windows (no guarantees it would work) or the MS-DOS Shell, you would need
to specify a working directory or startup directory, which would be C:\PMINE
or wherever you intalled the game files.
The files included are:

    PMINE.EXE   (the game)
    PMINE.SND   (all the sounds)
    PMINE.PIX   (all the graphics)
    PMINE.DOC   (this file)

When the game is up and running, you will have two new files:

    PMINE.CFG   (controls and other info- a very short file)
    PMINE.HI    (high scores)

One important note: It may not run under Windows, OS/2, or other platforms. At
any rate, I'm afraid to try it in Windows. PlunderMine was designed for DOS.
If you want to try it, go ahead, and I salute your bravery. If it works, even
partially, by all means let me know.


CONTROLS

    You can configure the controls for the game from the "Control Options"
screen, which allows you to set whether players use joystick or keyboard,
whether computer players can be used, and the standard number of rock monsters
per level.
    The keyboard controls game play and (usually) a human player. The keys
you use are:

Esc             Press twice to quit a game in progress; also used in menus
F10             Boss key (fast exit from anywhere in the game)
P               Pause
C               Recailbrate joystick(s)- be sure they're centered first

Keyboard controls for player:

ARROW KEYS      Move player up, down, left, or right
Space Bar       Blast
Enter           Blast (or, in menus, make a selection)

Joystick controls for player:

Up/Down/        Move player up, down, left, or right
 Left/Right
Button          Blast
Button 1        Select (menu screens only)
Button 2        Done (menu screens only)


INSTRUCTIONS

    The object of the game is to make as much money as possible by mining for
nuggets of gold and silver scattered throughout the mine, then cashing them
in.
    Standing in your way are rocks, some of which may fall on you, and
possibly other miners, who have only money on their minds. In addition, rocks
fall both at random and just after an explosion, so be on your gaurd- not that
you'll have time to get out of the way. And watch out for rock monsters.
    The game ends either when you quit or all human players are dead.

Displays

    The number of lives, gold nuggets, silver nuggets, and charges you have
remaining are indicated on the right side of the screen, which displays info
about all the miners in the game, as well as information about bonuses
received.
    A miner's stats, including the amount of cash he has, is indicated by the
spot on the right of the screen where his figure is. Since each miner wears a
different color helmet, it's pretty easy to tell which is which.

Death

    There are three ways to die:

1.  Cave-ins. These occur either at random, immediately following a blast, or
    when a miner uses up his last charge and can't get back to the top fast
    enough. You will see a rock fall on the miner, indicating that he's now a
    piece of history.
2.  Blasts. Unfortunately, other miners can be both greedy and clumsy. If
    you're caught in their blast, though, it really doesn't matter which. All
    that's left behind of a miner after an explosion is his helmet.
3.  Being hit with a rock. That is, a rock intentionally thrown at you by a
    rock monster.

    Whatever gold and silver a miner had when he died remains with his body
(or whatever's left of it) and can be retrieved by anyone fortunate enough to
find it.
    When a human player dies, he loses one life and is returned to the top of
the screen (unless he didn't have any left to begin with, and then he's gone)
with ten charges, no gold, and no silver. When a computer player dies, he
is restored off-screen and returns whenever he's ready.

Blasting

    To break through the rocks you are given ten charges, or sticks of TNT, at
the start of each level. You can use the charges to blow up rocks or other
miners, but be careful- you could blow up precious gold and silver in the
process.
    A blast occurs in the direction you last moved (or tried to move), so you
can aim your blast my moving toward a rock or something else beforehand.
    A few rocks fall every time you blast, so don't be frustrated if the rock
you tried to get rid of comes back to haunt you.
    The order of blasts is random, so if you and another player should hit the
button to nuke each other at exactly the same time, only one of you will be
able to do it.
    Oh, and one more thing: Don't throw charges at the sky, unless you want to
be smeared across the landscape. Not only does it make you look stupid, but
you'll usually get a scathing insult from the computer. You'll deserve it.
    When you run out of charges, the charge counter on the right tells you to
"GET OUT!" Without charges, you are in imminent danger of a cave-in and must
return to the surface to cash in and get ten more charges.

Finding Fortune

    Gold and silver nuggets are collected simply by walking into them. On
occasion, you may stumble across a pure nugget, which gives you an immediate
cash bonus of $100 for gold or $50 for silver.
    Nuggets aren't the only thing you can stumble over, though. You might
even find a body crushed by a rock, or just an empty helmet. These are
accompanied by whatever gold and silver their owners had when they kicked the
bucket, and it now belongs to you. Miners have been known to kill each other
for what they have, so look out and be prepared for them to stab you in the
back- or, in this case, blast you to smithereens.

Cashing In

    To cash in, exit the mine by going to the top of the screen. You will
automatically be given money for your gold and silver, and, if you have no
charges left, ten more charges. The amount of money you receive is directly
proportional to the number of charges you have (if you have no charges, you
will receive 10 new ones first). See SCORING below for more information about
cashing in.
    When all the gold and silver are gone, the next miner to cash in will end
the level, beginning a new one.

Making a quick buck

    You can blow up other miners, and they can do the same to you, so be
cautious! It may be wiser to stay in a different part of the mine instead of
taking your chances with an enemy.
    If you do insist on being a ruthless greedy bloodthirsty killer, at least
be sensible. If you're going against a computer player, don't try to blast
right next to him; instead, blast somewhere else where he'll be sure to get
caught in the explosion. Computer players are very stupid; they only pay
attention to what's right in front of their nose, so a sneak attack will work
better than the direct approach- in which case they're almost certain to try
to blast you first.
    If your opponent is sitting right next to you (i.e., in the room), you may
have a problem. The best advice is either not to try it or to take him by
surprise while he's dealing with something else- maybe when he's blowing up a
rock or another miner. Again, the indirect method is always best. It takes
more time to get next to him, ruining the element of surprise, and it's a lot
harder for him to realize what you're doing if you're not practically tapping
him on the back. Then again, you could always try cooperating with another
human player; they, at least, are capable of it.
    Also keep in mind that rock monsters are worth bonus money. Just don't
stand too close to them.

Rock monsters

    These guys are tough to beat. Why? Maybe because they're less predictable
than the other miners. They may pass up perfectly good opportunities to kill
you. They may stand still and look around. They can even disguise themselves
as ordinary rocks and move around without your knowing it.
    A rock monster poses its biggest threat to you not by stealing your loot,
not by blasting, but by killing you with rocks. It will throw rocks at you
when it feels like it, if it can see you. If not, that means it's hiding, and
then it can't hurt you at all. However, it can move to an adjacent hiding
place without your knowledge, only to resurface later somewhere where you
thought it wouldn't be.
    When you can see a monster's eyes, it can see you and it is ready to hit
you with a rock. If not, it has practically no knowledge of its surroundings
and is therefore vulnerable- especially if its hiding place is nowhere near
another rock.
    Rock monsters prefer to see as much of the world around them as they can;
frequently they will stand in place, or stay in hiding, looking back and
forth.
    You can select the number of rock monsters to have around in ordinary
levels (0-4). If you choose less than 4, keep in mind that an extra monster
will appear during the monster levels.

Levels

Normal level:       Nothing special.
Unstable level:     Blasting is much more dangerous in this level than in any
                    other. The mine will be more prone to rock falls and cave-
                    ins. There's really no way you can avoid a rock falling on
                    you, but you can at least be aware that when you blast it
                    may have dire consequences.
Monster level:      An additional monster (if you have less than 4) will come
                    into play to wreak havoc. Be on your guard.
Rock level:         A bonus, which increases in higher levels, goes to the
                    player who blasts the most rocks. If two or more players
                    share the honor, they will also share the bonus.
Motherlode level:   This level is loaded with gold and silver. Take advantage
                    of it and strike it rich. Watch where you blast especially
                    in this one, because you're liable to incur a stupid bonus
                    or at least lose an opportunity for more money.


SCORING

    Whenever a miner makes it to the top of the screen, money is awarded based
on the amount of gold, silver, and charges he has. Gold has twice as much
value as silver- remember this when you're mining. It's worth anywhere from $2
to $20 apiece when you cash in, whereas silver is only $1 to $10. The value of
a miner's silver (and gold) is proportional to the number of charges he has
left. If he has no charges, ten new ones are given to him, and the amount of
money he receives is then calculated (making it wise to totally run out of
charges before cashing in). The formula is:

(($2 * Gold) + ($1 * Silver)) * Charges

    This means that if you have 12 gold nuggets, 3 silver, and 7 charges, you
will get (($2 x 12) + ($1 x 3)) x 7, or $189.
    You receive an extra life for every $5000 you collect.
    Extra money is awarded in bonuses, some of which are only in certain types
of games.


BONUSES

    There are three types of bonuses: common, attack, and 2-player. Common
bonuses can occur in any game. Attack bonuses only happen when you blow up
another miner. 2-player bonuses are awarded only in games with two human
players.

Common Bonuses

    The only common bonus is the Pure Nugget bonus. There are two pure nuggets
in each level (unless, by some impossible streak of fate, there is no gold or
no silver in the level)- one is gold, the other silver. A pure gold nugget is
worth an immediate cash bonus (Pure Nugget bonus) of $100; a pure silver
nugget is worth $50.

Attack Bonuses

    There are four attack bonuses- the Duel bonus, Revenge bonus, Monster
bonus, and Combo bonus.
    A Duel bonus is awarded to you if you blow up another miner who was about
to do the same to you. A single Duel bonus is worth $500. If you manage to
catch more miners ready to blow you away, it goes up to $5000 for two miners
(earning you an instant extra life) or $50000 (10 extra lives) for three.
    Revenge bonuses are more complex. If another miner blows you up and takes
your gold and silver, you can earn a Revenge bonus by returning the favor
before:

1: He dies.
2: He cashes in.
3: He goes off the screen (computer players only).

    Revenge bonuses are worth $100 for one miner, $1000 for two, and a rare
$10000 (2 extra lives) for three.
    Monster bonuses are awarded for killing rock monsters. $50 for one, $500
for 2, $5000 for 3, and $50000 for 4. Depending on your game settings, it may
not be possible to kill many at a time. Even if it is possible, it's not very
probable.
    Combo bonuses are simply combinations of the above bonuses. Most commonly
this occurs as a Revenge and Duel bonus for one miner, making it $600.
However, it can go as low as $150 (Revenge for 1 + 1 Monster), but it can
reach a maximum of $60500 (Revenge for 3 + Duel for 3 + 2 Monsters), in the
almost entirely impossible event that you catch two rock monsters with three
miners to give you both Duel and Revenge bonuses.

2-Player Bonuses

    The two 2-player bonuses are the Survival bonus and the Stupid bonus.
    Whenever gold or silver is blown up or carried off-screen by a computer
player, it is counted as lost gold/silver and goes into a sort of fund; $10
for silver, $20 for gold ($100 or $50 go into the fund whenever a pure nugget
is destroyed). This fund is the Survival bonus, and it is awarded to the
living of two human players when the other one dies off for good.
    The Stupid bonus is given to a human player when the other one blows up
gold or silver. Just like the Survival bonus, it is $10 for each silver nugget
and $20 for gold. With ordinary nuggets, it can go as high as $100, but when
pure nuggets are involved, it can be up to $240 because of the lost $100 or
$50 in lost Pure Nugget bonuses. When Stupid bonuses are handed out, the same
amount goes into the Survival bonus.


HIGH SCORES

    When a game is finished (either by quitting or dying), the human players
are allowed a chance to type in their names and be entered on the top ten
list, IF their scores are high enough. You can type your name and press ENTER,
or you can either enter nothing or press Esc to abstain from having your name
added to the list.
    If you do make it onto the list, your miner will appear next to your name
to show how high on the list you placed.


STRATEGY AND TIPS

1.  Try to take out as many rocks with a blast as possible. Remember, as many
    as two rocks (or three, in an Unstable level) can fall for every blast.
    Basically, economize.
2.  Pay attention to the displays. They'll tell you who has how much gold,
    silver, and cash each miner has, as well as how many charges they've got.
    You can also tell if your human opponent (if you have one) is dead, and if
    any computer players are off-screen.
3.  Stay out of the mine when you need to stay safe. Not only are you
    COMPLETELY safe up there, but you can blast for free.
4.  Whenever you're running low on charges, get close to the top of the mine,
    then use up the rest and cash in.
5.  Don't cash in with less than ten charges if you can avoid it- because you
    get less money with less charges, you should wait until you run out before
    going to collect.
6.  Don't be a weenie. If you get a good chance, kill your opponents. Their
    treasure is your treasure. This goes double for computer players- they're
    too stupid to live anyway. Besides, they have unlimited lives, so it
    doesn't matter if you end a few of them early.
7.  When all the gold and silver is gone, and you see a miner going to cash
    in, set off as many charges as you can before he gets there. If you can
    get down to none, your gold and silver will be worth more. Watch out,
    though- this technique can have its drawbacks. If you can't deplete your
    charge supply to nothing before he gets there, you'll have lost quite a
    bit of money that you could have saved by simply doing nothing (see
    SCORING).
8.  Don't wait to settle your differences. In other words, if a miner blows
    you away, takes your loot, and is about to go off-screen or cash it in,
    get down there and teach him a lesson! You'll not only collect a Revenge
    bonus, but you'll recover what you had (and what he had) as well.
9.  Prey on the helpless. If you see a computer player who's out of charges
    and trying to get back to the top, but he's trapped and too dim-witted to
    escape, wait around and take his gold and silver when he dies.
10. Pit your enemies against each other and rock monsters. A rock monster will
    usually kill another player next to it, but it won't take his gold and
    silver. That means you can either wait for the monster to leave the area
    or blow him away, and you can have the precious metals yourself.
11. Catch rock monsters in transition. Rock monsters are impossible to spot
    when in complete hiding, unless they're out in the open. But if their eyes
    are open, you're dead meat. Your best bet is to wait until they're in the
    process of standing up or sitting down, then lob a charge at them.


MAGMODE

    One of the special features of PlunderMine is MagMode, where you can see a
player and his surroundings magnified on upper right corner of the screen.
MagMode is designed so that it can detect when it's going too slow, and adjust
itself accordingly, since some systems are just incapable of handling it. If
your system is too slow, you won't see MagMode, except perhaps once faintly,
accompanied by a brief and almost indetectable pause, in which the game is
figuring out that MagMode is just too darn slow- don't worry about it.
    MagMode's first test run didn't go fast enough on a 386DX-33, but with
some trimming and recoding it worked fine. I can't vouch for a 386-16
(especially an SX) or a 286 (I doubt it would work there), but on a reasonably
fast 386 it's okay.


JOYSTICK

    Calibrating the joystick is wickedly simple: Just move the stick around so
it hits all its extreme positions (up, down, left, right), then let it go and
press a button. Then release the button.
    If you don't want to use a joystick at all, press a key to cancel
calibration, and you won't have to use it. To recalibrate the joystick(s)
during a game, press C.


SOUND BLASTER

    To use the Sound Blaster support, you must have an actual Sound Blaster
from Creative Labs. This game uses the CT-VOICE.DRV driver and the BLASTER and
SOUND environment strings. If you don't have these environment strings set up,
set them in your AUTOEXEC.BAT file (Sound Blasters come with software to do it
for you). Also, you'll need enough room in memory to hold the PMINE.SND file.
No big problem there. It's not very big, as sound files go.
    Some CT-VOICE drivers appear to have a major problem- the sounds go sort
of dead (except you can hear noise in the output). This happens for one
reason: To play a new sound, an old one is being stopped, and the driver is
turning the speaker off. Either that, or it's a hardware error that exists in
newer sound cards. My experiments confirm both, deny neither. The Creative
Labs people don't have a clue. So far, this has only happened with my Sound
Blaster, driver version 4.01. If this is indeed a driver error, it is a really
stupid error that doesn't seem to exist in earlier drivers, and if you ever
write a program/driver of your own, please have the decency not to screw up
something that works by adding completely useless code.
    Okay, so I'm annoyed.


COMMON QUESTIONS AND ANSWERS:

Q: How come the computer players can go off the screen and I can't?
A: The computer players work differently than human ones. Besides not having
    to start on the screen, they can go off the screen and they have unlimited
    lives. They also have the intelligence of a common dust mote, which is why
    they have so much personal freedom- otherwise they'd be gone before the
    first level was over. I tried it that way, so I know.

Q: Why don't the rock monsters go off the screen?
A: They can't.

Q: I keep killing a rock monster, and he keeps coming back. How can I prevent
    this?
A: Well, there's only one way, and it's none too easy. Basically, you need to
    get the monster into an area surrounded by rocks and filled with gold,
    silver, or other debris. A rock monster can't go into hiding when he's
    standing on top of something, and unless he's hiding, he can't move
    through rocks. Essentially, he'll be trapped until some of the treasure is
    taken or the rock barrier is blasted.

Q: I saw the high scores list, and Lummox JR has every spot on it. Who's
    Lummox JR?
A: I am, and I can score a lot higher than 1000 points.

Q: What's Lummox JR mean?
A: Well, it's a long story. It's actually a shorter name than the original.

Q: What was the original?
A: I won't tell you.

Q: Don't you think this game is a bit too graphic?
A: Not really. Those miners are almost so cute that something gory HAS to
    happen to them. Kind of like Lemmings.

Q: I blew myself up by throwing dynamite at the top of the screen. Why did the
    computer call me a bonehead?
A: Because you're not supposed to do that. And it likes to insult people.

Q: Now it called me stupid, just because I blew up a piece of gold and my
    friend collected a bonus for it.
A: You're not supposed to do that either. Hence the term, "Stupid bonus".

Q: How come I can get a stupid bonus if I didn't do anything stupid?
A: You don't get it for being stupid. You get it for your human opponent being
    stupid.

Q: Why is it that I can get killed for just standing around in the mine?
A: Well, the idea is not to do that. Standing around outside the mine is
    perfectly safe, but as soon as you go in, you're risking your life.

Q: I blew up another player right next to me who was about to blast, but I
    didn't get a Duel bonus. Why didn't I?
A: If you didn't get a Duel bonus, then his his blast wouldn't have killed
    you. If it was going to, your miner would pocket 500 bucks.

Q: How do you get past the guard?
A: You seem to be reading the wrong manual.


PROGRAM HISTORY:

v1.0    Original release.

v1.1    Double-buffering added. Returned to using older joystick-reading
        routine and changed other routines involving joysticks, allowing the
        game to run properly on a 386 (it was mysteriously slow before).
        Graphics changed to load from separate file, PMINE.PIX. Optimized for
        speed. Strategy tip #11 added to manual. This section added to manual.
        Added background/border mine graphics on title screen. Miner AI
        improved, including fix of bug that prevented computer miners from
        seeing rock monsters.


BUG REPORTING!

    If you do manage to find a bug in this nearly perfect program, please be
as thorough as possible in describing it. Try following these rules of thumb:

1.  Try to reproduce it. Note the exact circumstances in which it happened,
    taking notes of everything that took place.
2.  Speculate. Try to figure out what might be causing it, if possible, and
    then try reproducing exactly the same set of conditions to see if they
    trigger the bug.
3.  Examine all the possibilities. Could it have been a one-time glitch,
    something wrong with the computer and not the game? That depends. The more
    something appears to be system-related, the more likely it's the system's
    fault. Glitches occur occasionally in everything, so don't be worried.
4.  Can't figure it out? Sometimes the toughest bugs are system-specific, such
    as interrupt conflicts on a sound card or memory manager problems. Usually
    these can be fixed with proper system management. Or, they can be game
    bugs that only pop up rarely and are therefore almost impossible to track
    down.

    Pass on ALL the relevant information to me, and I'll see what the problem
could be. I especially want to know about problems with:

Joysticks       - I can't test the second joystick or see if the joystick
                  routines will even work right on other systems. As it is, I
                  only had two to test them on. There's been a lot of
                  tinkering, and I'm satisfied with the results, but...
Sound Blaster   - I'm new at this. Remember, though, a lot of sound problems
                  are because of the system configuration (if so, they would
                  probably happen in other games and applications). Also, as I
                  said, your version of the CT-VOICE.DRV driver could be
                  flawed due to inept programming on Creative Labs's part.
                  I hate inept programmers. Or, it could be a hardware error
                  that exists in newer cards. The vote's not in yet.
Slow systems    - I can't test this game on a 286, so I have no idea how good
                  the performance would be on a 286 or on a monumentally slow
                  386. On a 386DX-33, it runs great.


SHAREWARE INFO

    This game is distributed as shareware. You can copy and distribute it
freely (in fact, please do!), but only as long as no money is paid for it
EXCEPT FOR:

1. The cost of the disk the program is on.
2. The physical act and labor of copying the files.
3. A small profit margin (as in professional shareware vending).

    When the program is copied, the original ZIP file must be copied,
unaltered in any way (even if I made a mistake in the documentation or
something).
    This program may only be included in a commercial package or package of
shareware (such as a CD, or a multi-game library of the type often sold by
shareware dealers) if I get a free copy of the package.
    Really, copy this game as much and as often as you like. Give it to your
friends, relatives, neighbors, and ESPECIALLY shareware distributors! Upload
it to BBS's and online services, for which you'll usually get some kind of
credit.
    There is no registration required for this program, nor is there any
special offer for anything if you do register. This game is not crippled in
any way, and I have done my best to make it as full-featured and enjoyable as
possible. I have nothing but contempt for shareware authors who cripple or
lock their programs to encourage registration, as I feel this is a
dishonorable and distrustful way of doing business. As is the case with copy
protection (such as looking up passwords, symbols, etc. from a manual, or
using a special disk) in commercial software, this says that the author or
production company not only doesn't trust you not to make illegal copies of
their software, but that they're willing to make it difficult and annoying for
you to use the copy you purchased legally, just to avoid the piracy of their
overpriced programs.
    Because there are no strings attached to this program, it's not only non-
crippled, it has no annoying copy-protection schemes or delay screens telling
you to register. In sending out this game without any kind of drawback or
limit as an incentive for you to register, I'm showing that I trust you to
evaluate this game and decide on your own if and how much you want to pay me
for it.
    If you do enjoy this game and find it worth your money, then please send
about $25 to:

                            Lee Gaiteri
                            P.O. Box 68
                            Elbridge, NY  13060

    If you want to send more, send more. If you can only afford 5 or 10 bucks,
then send that. $25 isn't a set fee or anything; it's really only a guideline
somewhere around the standard registration rate for most shareware, so just
pay what you think is appropriate.
    I can be reached on America Online as Lummox JR, or through the Internet
as Lummox [e-mail] (same thing, really, but I like to elaborate). Any
questions, comments, or bugs should be sent there, since I somehow never get
around to writing actual post-office pay-through-the-nose-to-stamp-it-and-
watch-it-never-get-there mail (postal workers, please don't take offense).


SHAREWARE DEALERS!

    If you're a professional shareware vendor, I'd like to hear from you about
how well this game does. Its built-in demo mode and automatic screen cycling
make it easy for you to simply turn the game on and leave it running. This
should encourage prospective buyers to purchase it, along with whatever new
games may be coming out from the other big-name producers. So, if you'd like
to, just turn it on and see what happens. If nothing else, at least it's a
break from the other cookie-cutter arcades we've been seeing lately.
    The following short description is written especially for dealers like
you, so that you don't have to waste time trying to write one on your own:

    PlunderMine v1.1 by Lee Gaiteri

        Go mining for silver and gold in this challenging and
    addictive arcade game, where you can blast through solid
    rock and attack other miners who want your loot! Avoid
    dangerous rock monsters and run past cave-ins.
    Play against the computer and/or a friend, or go it alone.

    286+ (386+ recommended), VGA required. Sound Blaster optional.
    Joystick required for 2-player game, optional otherwise.


ABOUT THE AUTHOR

    I began using computers when I was 4; my first program was written in
BASIC on the Atari 400. I moved up in experience to learn about system
specifics and early forms of DOS on the Atari 800XL (with floppy drive). From
then I began, but didn't finish, learning 6502 machine language, and tried
(usually unsuccessfully) to get things to work right.
    A few years back, my father bought a 286 computer, and I learned to
program in Turbo C 2.0. My first program was Solitaire Extraordinaire (which I
made mostly for my mother, who was addicted to a similar but uglier game on
the Atari), and since then I have made Icon Utilities (a DOS-based program to
work with Windows icons) and several collections of New Print Shop graphics,
including the only New Print Shop color borders ever to be distributed in the
world.
    In becoming a programmer, I shortly thereafter became a hacker, seeking to
discover the secrets of the file formats used by certain games (mostly save
files) and applications. This is what enabled me to create color Print Shop
borders and to learn about the icon file formats supported by Icon Utilities
(I have no formal knowledge about those formats). The term "hacker" is often
applied to computer criminals and such, but trust me, I'm just your basic,
examine-code-and-learn-from-it kind of hacker. (Although, in one case I
managed to disable the crippling in some otherwise good crippleware. Not
illegal, though.)
    Recently I learned 8086/8088 assembly language, which taught me a lot
programming principles and other things I could use in making games. With help
from Robin Rudge and others on the PRODIGY service (which I have since
abandoned because of its reckless disregard for faithful users) who gave me
some 256-color VGA routines, Dean Rowe's help with files, Victor Putz's
YakIcons game class library for C++, and my sister's voice screaming "GET
OUT!", I was able to create this game. The names of these people can be found
on the credits screen; I owe them, at the very least, recognition for their
help and support.
    And finally, I should mention that the reason I programmed this whole game
in the first place was because of another similar game on the old Atari, which
my mother was also addicted to (albeit not as severely). PlunderMine, however,
went through so many changes during its design that it's not even a shadow of
the original game anymore.


DISCLAIMER (just in case)

    This software is provided as-is. There are no warranties of any kind,
expressed or implied.
    THE AUTHOR OF THIS PROGRAM DISCLAIMS ALL WARRANTIES RELATING TO THIS
SOFTWARE, WHETHER EXPRESSED OR IMPLIED, INCLUDING BUT NOT LIMITED TO ANY
IMPLIED WARRANTIES OF MERCHANTABILITY AND FITNESS FOR A PARTICULAR PURPOSE,
AND ALL SUCH WARRANTIES ARE EXPRESSLY AND SPECIFICALLY DISCLAIMED. NEITHER
THE AUTHOR, NOR ANYONE ELSE WHO HAS BEEN INVOLVED IN THE CREATION, PRODUCTION,
OR DELIVERY OF THIS SOFTWARE SHALL BE LIABLE FOR ANY INDIRECT, CONSEQUENTIAL,
OR INCIDENTAL DAMAGES ARISING OUT OF THE USE OR INABILITY TO USE SUCH SOFTWARE
EVEN IF THE AUTHOR HAS BEEN ADVISED OF THE POSSIBILITY OF SUCH DAMAGES OR
CLAIMS. IN NO EVENT SHALL THE AUTHOR'S LIABILITY FOR ANY DAMAGES EXCEED THE
PRICE PAID TO THE AUTHOR FOR THE USE OF THE SOFTWARE, REGARDLESS OF THE FORM
OF CLAIM. THE PERSON USING THIS SOFTWARE BEARS ALL RISK AS TO THE QUALITY AND
PERFORMANCE OF THE SOFTWARE.
    Some states do not allow the exclusion of the limit of liability for
consequential or incidental damages, so the above limitations may not apply to
you.