ATOM EXPLORER Copyright(c) 1995 Gingerich Software Summary ------- The object of this game is to capture the elements of the periodic table without your ship being destroyed in the process. As you capture more elements, your ship gains additional capabilities. If an atom hits your ship, your shield power is reduced depending on the size of the atom and the speed of the collision. If your shield power goes to zero, your ship is destroyed. Classroom Use ------------- This program was designed to give students something fun to do when they finish their work. The student can enter his or her name, play the game, and print a periodic table with their name on it and the elements they have collected. The 'entire' periodic chart (109 elements in this version) can also be printed for reference. Shareware Notification ---------------------- This version of Atom Explorer is shareware. It has been limited. If you like this game, you may obtain the registered version by sending $14.95 to: Gingerich Software 220 Sutherland Drive South Charleston, WV 25303 Please send any comments to: gsoft@citynet.net Note: This is my address as of 8/17/95. I don't know where or when this file may be read, so you should probably check for a recent upload to be sure we haven't moved. Installation Notes ------------------ The unregistered version of Atom Explorer does not include an installation program. The following files are included: PERTAB.EXE - the program PERTAB.TXT - this file After extracting the archive, simply run PERTAB.EXE from the File menu, or you may open the Games group and add a new program item with the following properties: Description: Atom Explorer Command Line: C:\WINDOWS\PERTAB.EXE The other properties don't matter. These instructions assume that PERTAB.EXE is in the C:\WINDOWS directory. Recommended Hardware ------------------------------------ 486/33 or higher Sound card Requires Windows 3.1 or higher The atom explorer ship is controlled with the arrow keys: left and right for turning, up for thrust, down for reverse (if available) The element boxes along the top of the screen are opened by clicking with the mouse. Each time you open a box it costs points. The TAB key will also open the next available box. Ship Controls ------------- Capability Key Elements Needed ---------- --- --------------- Capture Element spacebar to engage none ESC to disengage M to adjust mass compensation Attract A Nb Detach D B,Si,As,U Guns G H,C,N,O,S,Pb Laser L O,Al,Cr Repel R Ga,At Destroy X U,Pu Improved Thrust Up arrow H,O Faster Turning Left & Right arrows Hg Reverse Down arrow B,Ge,As It is left to the user to guess how these elements might be used in providing the ship with the capabilities mentioned. Click in the middle of the screen with the right mouse button during game play to bring up the menu. You may save the game this way. Quick Tutorial -------------- After getting the program started, choose Easy level, and set the number of elements per level to 5. Press New Game to start the game. Get used to moving the ship around and avoiding atoms by turning with the arrow keys and using the up arrow to go forward. Press the spacebar and you will see two beams converge in front of the ship. If there is an atom where they converge, it will become trapped. The lower right corner of the screen where it says BEAM charge will show you the number of protons in the atom. Find the element box along the top of the screen that corresponds to the atom (on the easy level, the boxes show the atomic numbers at the top). Click on the box with the left mouse button to open it. If you have selected the right box, the beam will stabalize and the atom will stop moving. The beam power goes down quickly, so don't take too long or it will disengage. If you are low on power, you may wish to wait a bit before trying to move the atom. The quicker you try to move the atom, the quicker the power goes down. Turn your ship pointing towards the box you have opened and guide the atom into the box. If you have the right box for the element, the atom will be captured. Collect the rest of the atoms to complete the level. Notes ----- Some of the elements at the top of the screen are not real elements, but all of the ones you can capture are. On the easy level, you can see that they have unusual atomic numbers. If you have a slower computer, you may wish to reduce the Atom Rotation Angles so the game will start quicker. You may also reduce the elements per level to improve the game performance. The elements for each level are chosen randomly. If you are fortunate with the unregistered version, you may have the necessary elements to try out some of the ship's advanced capabilities. If you aquire lasers and/or guns depending on the level, you will find that something new may emerge to fire at.