home
***
CD-ROM
|
disk
|
FTP
|
other
***
search
/
Shareware Overload
/
ShartewareOverload.cdr
/
games
/
starduel.zip
/
STARDUEL.DOC
< prev
next >
Wrap
Text File
|
1991-04-04
|
13KB
|
248 lines
***************************************************************************
* STARDUEL *
* Copyright (C) Tom Lentz, 1991 *
* Shareware version, last version update 03/27/1991 *
***************************************************************************
First, for some legal technicalities :
This program may be distributed freely provided the following
conditions are met:
1) It is distributed in unmodified form.
2) All files are included: The executable code, 5 data files,
This file, the registration form, and the *.FON files.
3) No other files or additions to these files are made, this includes,
but is not limited to: BBS advertisements, and other programs.
4) No charge is requested or accepted for exchange of this program.
No warranties on this shareware product are expressed or implied.
If you enjoy this game, please register and you will receive the full version
in addition to having a much cleaner concience. See registration notes near
the end of this document.
SYSTEM REQUIREMENTS :
This game requires an IBM AT compatible computer with an 80286 processor
or better, an enhanced keyboard (preferably 101 key), and VGA video.
INSTRUCTIONS :
Welcome to the game of STARDUEL! This game is inspired by an old arcade
style game which some of you might remember. It was always one of my
favorites, and discovering that nothing like it was available for a PC,
I proceeded to create it myself. I hope you enjoy it as much as I enjoyed
writing it.
This is a two player game in a space setting. You and your opponent are
each piloting a warship, pitted in mortal combat with each other. The
object of the game is to destroy the other players ship (really original,
huh?). Each ship is armed with a finite amount of ammunition, fired from
a weapon in the front of the ship, and with a finite amount of fuel, used
to move the ship around.
There is one obstacle during game play: A small star in the center of
the screen. It cannot be destroyed by firing at it, and a collision with
it would most certainly be fatal, so watch your step!
The bottom of the screen shows game statistics, including the time left
in the game, each players scores, and remaining fuel and ammo for each
player in a bar graph form. When the timer reaches zero, the game is over.
At that point the player with the highest score wins. A point is scored
for the destruction of the other player. If the ships collide, each player
receives a point.
CONTROLS :
At the start of the game, and in between rounds, the choices available
are displayed on the bottom of the screen. During play, the controls
are as follows:
Left player :
Rotate left: Left Control key.
Hold this key down to rotate your ship counterclockwise.
Rotate right: Right Alt key.
Hold this key down to rotate your ship clockwise.
Fire: D key.
Tap this key to fire your weapon.
Thrust: F key.
Tap this key to give yourself a burst of speed forward.
Right player :
Rotate left: Right Alt key.
Hold this key down to rotate your ship counterclockwise.
Rotate right: Right Control key.
Hold this key down to rotate your ship clockwise.
Fire: F11 key.
Tap this key to fire your weapon.
Thrust: F12 key.
Tap this key to give yourself a burst of speed forward.
To abort the current round (useful if both ships are hopelessly crippled,
out of ammo, or if your boss walks in) press the ESCAPE key. No other
keys may be held down when pressing ESCAPE (like control or alt), sort
of a safety measure to keep a desperate player from cheating on the other.
I apologize if the keyboard layout seems a little awkward, but due
to circumstances beyond my control (hardware limitations), there are
VERY few keys which register different codes for left and right control
and alt sequences.
CAPS LOCK AND NUM LOCK MUST BE OFF DURING GAME PLAY!
CHANGING GAME PLAY OPTIONS:
At the start of each game you are given the option to change any or all
of the game play options. These are variables used by the program which
specify speed, time, fuel available, and many other neat items. They all
may be changed to your liking to create a different game "feel", and make
the game play the way you want! Be warned that EXTREME changes to some
of the variables may produce erratic game play, so experiment to find
what works best for you.
Here is a description of each variable and it's effect on game play:
Game time : This specifies the length of a game (approximately in seconds).
A larger value will result in a longer game.
Ammo : The number of rounds of ammunition each player starts out with, for
a really challenging game, make this small, for a bullet-flying
free-for-all, make this large.
Fuel : The number of "bursts" of fuel each player starts with on each
round. When you're out of fuel, you can no longer change your speed,
but you may still rotate.
Acceleration : How fast the ships accelerate with each "burst" of the
engines. A larger value makes you reach your top speed faster, a
smaller value and you feel like you're driving a 2-cylinder uphill.
Maximum speed : The maximum speed of the ships, a larger number indicates
a higher maximum speed. No matter how much you accelerate, your
speed relative to the star in the center of the screen may not be
more than this.
Shot speed : How fast the bullets go in relation to your ship's speed.
A higher value and they will move faster. Be warned, that if this
value is too large, the bullets will move in increments of more than
1 pixel at a time and could "skip" over the ship with a little luck.
Shot duration : The ranges of the bullets, or how long they last on
the screen. Be careful, if this is too large they could wrap around
the screen and hit you in the rear if you don't move.
Game speed : The overall game speed. A larger number gives a slower
game, a faster number gives a faster game. 0 will give the fastest
possible game. This is basically a number used in an internal delay
loop.
CPU speed : A variable which tells the program how fast your computer
operates. A lower number indicates a slower CPU, a higher number,
a faster CPU. A number around the clock speed of your computer
in megahertz is a good place to start. Experiment with this value
until the timer down below during game play approximates seconds.
Shot power : This tells how powerful each of your bullets are. This is
used to decide if a shot kills a ship or merely wounds it. A smaller
value means less powerful guns, thus more of a chance to be wounded
and not destroyed. A larger value means the shots are pretty darn
lethal and being hit by one is nearly always fatal. Try a value
around .1 if you like to run around crippled (sort of fun!), or
about 2.0 if you want to just hit someone and have it be over with.
STRATEGIES :
Here are a few hints which just might enable you to beat that friend of
yours who is always better than you:
Keep moving, but not too fast. You don't want to be a sitting target, but
don't move so fast that you can't get out of the way of something.
Whether a ship is wounded and loses it's front end or back end is dependent
upon two factors. The relative speed of impact between the ship and
the bullet which hit it, and how long the bullet has been on the screen.
Thus, if you hit a bullet head-on at a good clip, you're probably dead, but
if the shot sneaks up from behind and bumps into you, you might just live.
The age of the shot affects this also. At close ranges bullets are far
more lethal than at long range. A bullet which hits you at near it's
maximum range (modified by changing the shot duration) isn't as powerful
as one fired from someone just a fraction of a second ago. Which part
of your ship is crippled is dependent upon the relative headings of your
ship and the bullet. If your ship is pointed (not necessarily moving) the
same direction as the bullet, you're more likely to lose your engines. If
you're pointed the opposite way that the bullet is heading, it's more
likely that you'll lose your weapon.
Remember that suicide is always a possibility. If you're out of ammo, or
your weapon is destroyed, try to ram the opponent. You'll both die, and
both get a point, which is better than being shot and giving him a point.
If you're without fuel or engines, you can either wait until the enemy gets
close and open fire, or try the "spray wildly and hope" approach and fill
the sky with all your remaining ammo at once. Remember you can still
rotate your ship, and if timed right, with a little luck you can even
pivot your ship so that an impending-looking shot misses you.
REGISTRATION :
If you enjoy this game, you may receive the full version for a small
registration fee of $10, or $5 if you also send along a blank disk
in a self-addressed stamped diskette mailer (any size or density). Checks
gladly accepted.
In addition to receiving the full version of this program, you will also
be notified by mail of any changes and new versions released in the
future. As a registered user, you will have the opportunity to upgrade
to these new versions for only the cost of the new disk, shipping, and
handling (probably around $2-$3). Or for free if you send me a disk and
SAS disk mailer.
Please print out and fill in the enclosed registration form (or if
you don't have a printer, copy it to a piece of paper), and send it,
along with your registration fee of $5 to:
Tom Lentz Jr.
S. 4145 Sundown Dr.
Spokane, WA 99206
If you have any ideas, questions, comments, or suggestions that might make
this a better program, or if you find any bugs (God forbid), please send
them along!
IDEAS FOR FUTURE VERSIONS :
This program is still under development, and I have plenty of ideas for it.
Whether these ideas are implemented depends on what type of response I get
from the users. Please let me know what you'd like to see on newer
versions. Some ideas I had in mind are :
1) Gravity. This was originally an integral part of the program, but
turned out to be much trickier than estimated. I haven't given up
completely tho!
2) Faster program execution with DMA graphics, or expanded memory overlays,
eliminating the wait when reloading graphics after someone is crippled.
3) More user adjustable variables, such as whether the speed of shots is
relative to ship speed, or an absolute quantity. Whether hitting the
sun or each other is lethal, and possibly rebounding walls.
4) Other play obstacles, such as a couple of walls sitting in space,
or the occasional asteroid or even alien ship that floats by.
5) Other graphics format support, including 640x350 EGA mode or even
1024x768 Super VGA mode!
6) A math co-processor version could very easily be made, for those of
you who live for speed! Likewise, an XT version could be easily made
for those of you who don't mind it a little slow.
7) This could be quite a project, but there's an idea forming in the back
of my head for a computer opponent. Then you could play this game alone!
Thank you for taking the time to read this! Enjoy your game, and have
a great day!
Sincerely,
Tom Lentz..... aka Alien.