The future of intergalactic competition, today.
How to Play:
Keep the ball in the air until
all the bricks are destroyed.áá Move
your ship to the left and right to do this - thatÆs it!
Object:
The object of Ricochet is
simple û get the highest possible score.á
There are four ways to add to your score.á They are:
Break Bricks - Each brick you break will add a different number
of points to your total.á In general,
the harder the brick is to break, the more points it will add to your score.
Get a Powerup û each powerup you pick up will also increase your
score.á As youÆll read in the powerup
descriptions, they do other nice things for you as well that can have the
effect of really cranking up your score.
Destroy a Bomb û When you can manage to direct your ion sphere to
intersect the path of a bomb, the bomb is destroyed and you are awarded a point
bonus.
End a level û Each time you end the level, you will receive a
completion bonus, and a bonus for every ball you manage to keep in play.á The more powerful your ball is, the higher
your bonus will be!
Controls:
á
Mouseááááááááááááááááááááááááááááááááááá Move ship
left and right
Left
mouse buttonáááááááááááááááá Launch ball,
fire lasers and missiles
ááá ááááááá Space Baráááááááááááááááááááááááááááá Launch ball, fire
lasers and missiles
Right
mouse buttonáááááááááááááá Pause game,
Bring Up Menu Screens
Escáááááááááááááááááááááááááááááááááááááááá Pause
game, Bring Up Menu Screens
Pauseáááááááááááááááááááááááá áááááááááá Pause
game, Bring Up Menu Screens
Main Menu:
The main menu is your
friend.á You can find everything you
need there!
Buy it Now û If you havenÆt yet upgraded to Ricochet Xtreme,
this is the way to do it.á Through this button,
you can access Quick Pay û the fastest way to upgrade, Pay by Phone, and Other
Registration options such as Pay Online or Pay By Mail.á If you have Problems with any of these
features, please see Problems section below.
Play Game û Start a new game of Ricochet, or resume a game in
progress.áá Ricochet will ask you to
choose a player, or set up a new player so that statistics can be tracked.
Statistics û Here you can access a wide variety of
statistics.á Overall high scores as well
as information about each player that has been set up can be accessed through
this button.á
Tell a friend û Through this button, you can use our email server
to tell your friends about Ricochet.á
Please do it!á TheyÆll thank you
for it, and so will we!
Optionsá - Through
this button you can configure sound, configure video, check for updates to
Ricochet, and view the credits of the game.á
Extra Ball û When you run out of balls, the game is over, so the
benefits of extra balls are obvious.á
The more of these you can collect, the longer your game will last, and
the higher your score can be.á
Small Ball û This powerup is really not the best.á Sure, it adds a hundred points to your score
and sometimes makes it easier to fit into tight spaces, but it also shrinks
your ball, making it harder to keep track of.á
Worse, it causes your ball to do less damage to certain stronger
bricks.á ItÆs up to you to decide if the
points are worth it.
Normal Ball û This unique powerup will make you happy sometimes
and sad at others.á When you have a
small ball, it will make it bigger.á
But, when you have a more powerful ball like a Fire Ball or Rail Ball,
it will take that away from you.á Get
it? Avoid it?á It all depends!
Slow Ball û This powerup also depends greatly on your
situation.á If your ball is traveling at
lightning fast speeds, the slowing effect caused by this powerup will be a
welcome change.á If however, youÆre
already going at a reasonable speed, you may not find it worth it to pick this
one up.
Fast Ball û To keep you on your toes, and your reflexes at
their best, this powerup boosts the speed of the ball.á Get a few of these in a row if you think you
can pass the ultimate test of your reflexes.
3 Ball Split - Triple the fun with this ball splitter.á Some folks will try to keep all 3 balls in
play.á Some find this to be too much to
handle.á Are you the greedy type or the
conservative type?á This will give you
the chance to find out!
8 Ball Split û 8 Balls!á
What else can you say?á Real nice
when combined with a Rail Ball or Fire Ball.á
Imagine the brick clearing power that provides!á The RPAÆs advice: donÆt get overwhelmed!
Fire Ball û This powerup turns up the heat and increases the
damage your ball delivers.á Bricks that
usually take three hits from the normal ball are destroyed with just one
hit.á Obstacle bricks are also destroyed
in just one hit.á A Fire Ball will
also blow up the neighboring bricks of the one you hit. Thus, in a single
bounce, the Fire Ball can destroy 4 bricks! á If it is a small Fire Ball, then it will only break one brick at
a time - but it still does it in a single hit on any side of any kind of brick.
Rail Ball û The Ultimate!á
Wielding destructive power like nothing else, this ball crashes through
whatever is in its path like warm knife through soft butter.á YouÆll want to keep it for as long as you
can!
Ball Catch û This nifty powerup creates an electrical field
around your shipÆs shield that has the effect of turning the shield into a very
powerful magnet.á The ball will stay
glued to the shield until you let it go with the left mouse button.á This temporarily overrides the electric
effect and releases the ball.á The
electricity is only powerful enough to hold one ball at a time, so if there are
two or more balls in play, you can save one ball for later if you wish.
Shield Expander û This powerup increases your chances of keeping
your balls in play.á There are 3 lengths
that the shield can be: small, normal, wide.á
This powerup will push you up to the next level unless youÆre already at
the widest.á In that case, itÆs just a
free 100 points.
Shield Shrinker û A powerup in name only, this will shrink your
shield to the next size down.á Most
people will avoid it, but if you want to challenge yourself, go ahead and
shrink the shield!á Other times, of
course, youÆll have no choice in the matter.
Laser Guns û This power up gives you the ability to shoot at
the bricks with deadly accuracy.á Each
shot fired will do the equivalent damage of a Normal Ball so have at æem!
Missiles û This power up is guaranteed to bring a smile to
your face!á Enjoy the quick strike
firing ability of the missiles, which do equivalent damage to a Fire Ball.á These babies make quick work of most any
level.
Bombs û When too many people began entering Ricochet
competitions, the level of talent really began to degrade.á So, to separate the real athletes, and as a
tribute to the origins of the sport, the RPA added these bombs to introduce a
little life and death fear to the game.á
They announce themselves with a whistle and youÆll want to make sure
your ship is well clear of them.á
Specialty Bricks
Moving bricks.á These
bricks move at a predetermined path just to make your task a little
tougher.á Sometimes you can use them to
your advantage û sometimes they just plain get in your way.á Either way, they spice things up and give
you a little something to think about..
Exploding Bricks û These bricks make things a little easier on you by
blowing up neighboring bricks.á ThereÆs
just something real satisfying about these ones.á YouÆll find yourself aiming for them when you see them.
3-hit bricks û Space, Lava, and Infinity levels all feature these
stubborn bricks that must be hit 3 times before theyÆll give way.á Real skill testers are the ones that require
you to hit them from a particular side (top or bottom)!
Power up Bricks û YouÆll learn real quickly which bricks are the
ones that hide the powerups.á These hold
the gems that can turn a hard level easy.á
Try to hit them first!
Obstacle Bricks.á These bricks
arenÆt indestructible, but they might seem that way.á YouÆll have to hit them a lot of times with a normal ball and
even more with a small ball.á But, take
heart û they do not have to be destroyed to win a level.á But, if youÆre the kind of person that wants
everything cleared up, Fireballs, Railballs and Missiles do a pretty
good job on them.á Clearing them out of
the way usually make a level a lot easier!á
╜ Obstacle - These bricks are only indestructible if you
approach them from the wrong side.á
Makes for nice challenging levels.á
Hit the brick on one side, nothing happens, hit it from the other û
boom!á Brick gone!
Half Bricks -á Advanced
RPA members really like the way these bricks play with the ball.á Pay attention because they can change the
direction of a ball in mid-flight!
Off on and Detonator
bricks û This combination of bricks
must be in the right state before any of them will blow up.á Turn the two on and then hit the Detonator.á If you do that, theyÆre all gone.á Doing it in any other order will make for a
long, challenging level.
Concussion Bricks û When these bricks are destroyed they will impart a
little shock to neighboring bricks causing them to move around.á Just another little twist that the RPA
thought would make things a bit more interesting.
Nudge
brick û
These are not destroyed when you them. Instead, they move in a particular
direction and push along all the bricks that are in their way. A nudge
brick can push a whole row or column of bricks. They cannot, however,
push exploding bricks or brick shredders.á
Any brick nudged into an exploder or shredder will be destroyed.
Brick Shredders û These bricks are indestructible, and also can do
damage to any brick that is pushed into them.á
Nudge a few bricks into these and see what happens.
Changing Bricks û The first thing youÆll notice about these bricks
is that they seem to be two half bricks shoved together.á Well, the left side of the brick indicates what
bricks it can change, and the right side indicates the type of brick it will
change those bricks to.á YouÆll like the
ones that are indestructible on the left, and exploding on the right.á They can really make things a whole lot
easier.á Watch out for the ones that
have the opposite effect!
Trapped Balls û These balls have no destructive capabilities until
they come in contact with your shield.á
They are often placed in the midst of several bricks bouncing harmlessly
against them.á Set them free, and activate
them with your shield an youÆve got another ball to use!
Can you be the Ricochet
Champion of your house? Your neighborhood? The entire world?á Upgrade to Ricochet Xtreme and find out!
Interstellar minefields were in bad need of
clearing.á So, military engineers
developed the RS42 û a ship featuring lightning quick acceleration and nimble
controls.á Combined with an ion sphere,
it was the perfect ship for the job.á
Pilots could clear out mine fields by bouncing the sphere from mine to ship
and back.á To train pilots for this
task, instructors developed a unique exercise where pilots were required to
keep an ion sphere within predetermined boundaries for as long as
possible.á As the pilotsÆ skills
increased, instructors introduced destructible bricks in the boundaries to serve
as stand ins for the mines they would encounter in active duty.á These bricks also provided good targets so
that pilots could become familiar with the RS42Æs weapons systems as well.áá
One day, an interested observer noted how
enthusiastic pilots were about this drill.á
He discovered that they had in fact placed side wagers on who could be
the best pilot in the class and noted that all pilots strived to obtain the
highest possible score.á At the end of a
particular training rotation, the pilot with the highest overall score was known
as the ôRicochetö Champion.á It became
quite a matter of prestige to bear this title, and in fact the Champion usually
drew the best assignments.
Aspiring to capitalize on what he thought would be
the universal appeal of this æsportÆ; the hopeful observer established a
professional league that pitted retired pilots against one another.á It was not long before news of the
competition swept the galaxy and soon was the most popular inter-stellar sport
going.á Military recruiting surged as
youngsters sought to learn to compete in the Ricochet Arena.
Continued enhancements were made to the professional
game.á Different bricks were created and
power ups and penalties were hidden among some of the bricks.á Some of these helped the pilot and some of
them had devastating effects on a pilotÆs score.á Upgrades included shield extenders, extra ion spheres, lasers,
missiles, and sphere modifiers that turned the ion sphere into a fire ball or
rail ball that could blast its way through any obstacle.á
Hidden penalties included sphere shrinkers, shield
reducers, sphere accelerators and bombs that hurled themselves at a
player.á Competitors and fans alike
embraced these enhancements and marveled at how they improved a game that was
already great.á Popularity soared.á
When prize money increased, players soon began to
travel from place to place, competing to beat the scores of the best Ricochet
players in the RPA (Ricochet Players Association) of the local area.á Four different arenas soon became the most
popular because each of these arenas had developed unique bricks that affected
game play a unique way.áá When these 4
arenas joined together, the professional RPA tour was founded.á Each year, four lucky competitors qualify
for the galactic Ricochet Championship where one lucky contestant will
successfully navigate 40 different brick arrangements in each of the Four
Arenas and amass the highest score.á
That person will go home with the coveted Ricochet Master of the
Universe award.
Now, through the a special arrangement with the RPA
and the power of your home PC, Reflexive Entertainment has captured all the
excitement of this intergalactic competition and has brought it to you via the
officially RPA licensed home version of Ricochet.á
The home version features all the same intense game play as the sport, but can be played on any Windows PC in the comfort of your own home.á The 3D rendered graphics and digital audio are so realistic that you will feel like you are really competing to win the coveted title of the Ricochet Master of the Universe.
To keep the playing field
even all players play with the same ship.á
The RPA agreed at an early stage that Ricochet competition is a test of
piloting skill, not equipment.á All
competitors compete in RPA approved ships that feature identical accelerating,
handling, and weapon firing abilities.á
All ships are equally upgraded by power ups.á Likewise, all ships are equally hampered by penalties.á While your ship is a fine piece of
engineering, the Champion will rest assured knowing that the competition was
won based on skill, not on fancy equipment.
Built from a highly durable
alloy of the most impact resistant materials in the universe, an official
Ricochet Ion Sphere is a true accomplishment in design and production.á Ion Spheres are built to withstand thousands
of collisions at high speeds, and can endure temperature changes of thousand of
degrees in just a matter of seconds.á The
spheres expand and contract in size and form an incredibly strong bond with
electricity.
IBM Compatible System
Pentium II 266 Mhz Processor
32 Megs of Ram
Keyboard and Mouse
Microsoft DirectX 2.0 or
greater.á As of the ship date in October
2001, DirectX 8.0a is currently the latest version of Microsoft's DirectX.á You can download Direct X from
www.Microsoft.com/directx/
Internet Connection - if you
want to participate in online score posting (coming soon!), Quick Pay, or the
tell a friend program.
Quick Pay is a safe and
remarkably fast way to pay for select games from Reflexive Entertainment.á Using a secure system (industry standard
SSL), your credit card information is transferred, verified, and processed -
all without leaving the game.á Once your
card has been approved, your copy of Ricochet is instantly upgraded to Ricochet
Xtreme!
In a word, Yes.á Quick Pay is just as safe as buying anything
else on the Internet.á We use an
encrypted and secure connection to protect your information.á Your information is not shared with anyone
at any time under any circumstance according to our privacy policy.á Reflexive places the utmost importance on
our customersÆ privacy.á We do
everything within our ability to protect ensure the confidentiality of your
personal information.
If your computer is
connected to the Internet, it usually takes only about 30-45 seconds to process
your card and unlock the game.á It is
tremendously faster than old systems requiring a second download of a full
version.
IE5 has certain encryption
abilities that we use to protect your information.áá We donÆt feel comfortable transferring your information without
this security in place.
I donÆt use Internet
Explorer û I donÆt have it installed.á
Can I still use Quick Pay?á
No, youÆll need to install
IE5 to use Quick Pay.á If you donÆt want
to install IE5, please use one of our other fast purchase options such as Pay
Online or Pay by phone.
Purchasing Problems
Quick Pay û If you are having a problem using the Quick Pay
feature to upgrade to Ricochet Xtreme, please be sure that your computer is
connected to the Internet.á Quick Pay
requires that your computer be connected to the Internet.á Usually, the following procedure will solve
the problem: 1) Minimize Ricochet, 2) Start your internet connection as you
normally would 3) Return to Ricochet 4) Click on the Quick Pay button á5) Click ôIÆm already connectedö
If you have started your
Internet connection and followed the above steps and Quick Pay still does not
work, click the Pay Online button found under the Other Registration Options
button.á (Be sure your computer is still
connected to the internet) and follow the onscreen instructions.
If that doesnÆt work, go to
the following website:á
https://secure.hypermall.com/reflexivenet/perfectpay.cgi?form=ricochet
If that does not work,
please use the Pay by Phone feature.á
Our sales representative will help you upgrade.
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Problem with Colors?
If you have a problem with
the colors being all messed up:á 1) Click
Options 2) Click Configure Video 3) Click the Info Tab 4) Click Fix Colors
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If you are experiencing choppy
or slow game play, each of the tips below will speed up the game.á We recommended that you try them in order
and only do as many as are required to make the game perform at an acceptable
level.
1.á From the 'Configure Sound' dialog, turn 'Stereo' to 'Mono'.
2.á From the 'Configure Sound' dialog, turn 'Mixing' to 'Faster'.
3.á From the 'Configure Sound' dialog, mute the music. This will stop
the music from streaming.
4.á From the 'Configure Sound' dialog, mute the Master sound volume.
This will avoid the overhead of mixing and playing all sounds.
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Many older soundcards aren't
fully compatible with Microsoft DirectX.á
Usually, simply updating your soundcard drivers will fix any strange
sound problems you may encounter. Check with your manufacturer (or your
soundcard manufacturer's web site) for the latest drivers.
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If you need to reset the
original Ricochet configuration, you can delete the Ricochet.cfg file. This
will reset video mode, sound levels, and controls.
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The screen is too dark û
You can adjust the
brightness levels from the 'Configure Video' menu.
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If you experience any
lockups or crashes, make sure that you have the latest DirectX drivers for your
video and audio hardware.á Most problems
can be fixed by installing DirectX 8 but some manufactures have newer drivers
than those included with DirectX 8.á Be
sure to contact the specific manufacture for your hardware for the latest
drivers.á Also be sure to reboot your computer
before playing after a crash.á Often
times, without a reboot, the problem may lie in memory and will occur again.
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If you have other problems,
please feel free to contact Reflexive Technical Support at: support@reflexive.net.á Also, see the Ricochet site at www.reflexive.net.á An FAQ and other help will be available soon.
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