" Back on issue #101 of Softdisk, a great game by the name of Grotto Run premiered. Well, I knew the game was great, but it just wasn't"
"enough. So, I flipped on my little Laser 128EX, tore apart the game, and designed a simple level editor using what I'd learned about it."
#
@^A Little More History
@5
" Once I finished that, I thought that there might be other gamers out there who'd like to make their own levels for the game, too. So, I started writing again, this time using Softy's Hi-Res Character Generator (HRCG) program."
#
@^Back To The Present
@5
" You now see the result. With this editor, you control what you play in Grotto Run. Make high scoring levels. Design strategic levels. Map out impossible levels. It's all up to you."
"@^Let's get started, shall we?"
#
@^The Main Menu
@1
" To make a selection from any of the menus, the first letter of the name may be typed for more speed."
" The main menu selections are fairly straightforward. They are:"
@^Construction Kit
@^File Utilities
@^Instructions
@^Acknowledgements
@^Leave Construction Kit
" And now for a look at each one..."
#
@^The Construction Kit
@2
" This is what makes the program what it is - the level editor for Grotto Run. It is explained in detail later."
#
@^The File Utilities
@2
" The file menu is a set of ProDOS utilities to make using the program easier. The selections in the menu are:"
@^Load a level
@^Save current level
"@^New Prefix/Slot, Drive"
@^Catalog
@^Go back to main menu
#
@^The File Utilities
@2
" Load a level: This will load a new level from Grotto Run into memory. It will present a menu of level numbers."
" Save current level: This will save the level in memory to the current drive. It will present a menu of level numbers."
" New Prefix/Slot, Drive: This will present a menu allowing you to set the prefix of a disk or set the slot and drive location of the disk."
#
@^The File Utilities
@2
" Catalog: This will list the contents of the current drive."
" Go back to main menu: This takes you back to the main menu (no kidding!)"
#
@^The Instructions
@2
" [You are here] Everything you'd ever want to know about the Grotto Run Construction Kit (GRCK)."
#
@^The Acknowledgements
@2
" A section of kudos, congrats, credits, and ego boosting."
#
@^Make A Backup Of Grotto Run
@6
" Finally - The construction kit itself, as promised. Before you go any farther, though, back up Grotto Run with Softy's DUPE command, and use only that backup with GRCK!"
" When you start GRCK, take out the disk containing GRCK and put in your backup of Grotto Run. Then use the file utilities to set its location."
"Before selecting the instructions again, put the GRCK disk in and set the prefix."
#
@^The Commands
@6
" The construction commands are:"
" < & > - switch between pages"
" arrows - move around"
" A - alternate move up"
" Z - alternate move down"
" space - paint block"
" B - change brick type"
" Q - quick brush change"
" C - clear entire level"
" F - fill screen"
" P - enter # of new page"
" ? - get help"
" ESC - go to the main menu"
#
@^The Commands
@6
" < & > - Move left or right one full page.
" Arrows - These will move you around the screen. The left and right arrows will move the page up or down by .1 if you move off the screen. 'A' and 'Z' are alternate up and down movement keys."
" Space - This will put the shape you have selected into the block you are currently on."
#
@^The Commands
@6
" B - This will display a screen of the possible bricks to use in Grotto Run. To select a brick, type the letter beside the shape. On the next page, all of the bricks and their letters are listed."
" Q - This prompts you for a brush letter - without showing you the choices. It is much faster to use this when you know the brushes by heart."
" When the bricks are displayed, the current brush will be highlighted."
#
@^The Bricks
@6
"A: Solid Ground O: Generator"
"B: Spikes P: Laser Shield"
"C: Stalactites Q: Water"
"D: Stalactites R: Low Ground"
"E: Stalactites S: Saturn"
"F: Stalagmites T: Jupiter"
"G: Stalagmites U: Venus"
"H: Stalagmites V: The Moon"
"I: Stalagmites W: City"
"J: Blank"
"K: Brick Wall"
"L: Missile Launcher"
"M: Laser Cannon"
"N: Fuel Depot"
#
@^The Commands
@6
" C - This command is intended to"
@5COMPLETELY!!
"erase the level in memory. Since this is such a drastic move, the computer will ask you to confirm the action."
" F - This will fill the screen with the current brick."
#
@^The Commands
@6
" P - This will ask you to enter the page number that you wish to jump to. You can enter numbers to one decimal place (i.e. 5.2) for more accuracy in the jumps."
" ? - This will display all of the commands for quick reference."
" ESC - This takes you back to the main menu."
#
@^Tips & Techniques
@5
"(1) The first screen for every level is unchangeable - it is 2 rows of wall bricks across the top and the bottom of the screen."
"(2) Every shape after and including the laser shield will absorb lasers and bombs without an explosion."
"(3) When placing laser shields, don't connect two shields to the top and bottom of one generator. If the generator is destroyed, only the top shield disappears."
#
@^More Tips & Techniques
@5
"(4) The spikes won't fall until you reach the higher levels."
"(5) When you make it through all nine levels, you'll go back to level one."
"(6) On the last page, all blank squares will be stars. Making it a cleared page is often a good idea."
"(7) I've redesigned levels 3 and 5 to show what you can do with the editor. Level 5 is standard fare, but level 3 is very different."
#
"@^Fin"
@5
" You've learned all there is to know about the GRCK program itself. Now it's up to you to create first-class levels for a first-class game. Enjoy!"
#
@^Programmer Stuff
@2
" The shapes were cut straight out of actual Grotto Run screens using Quickshapes on issue #91."
" The subroutines in this program (lines 9999 and up) are stand- alones; you can use these in almost any BASIC program with little, if any, modification."
#
@^More Programmer Stuff
@2
" The text display system is located on lines 7000 thru 7600. It is a very simple BASIC version of Softdisk's Universal Display System. By looking at the file GRCK.INSTR, you should be able to use it easily."
" By the way, it needs the centering, word-wrap, and color line subroutines. The actual display subroutine will likely need modification for other programs."
