-= M E G A M A Z E =- - (C)1994 DIGICRAFT SOFTWARE - INSTRUCTIONS (C)1994 By Stuart Cameron Written by Stuart Cameron Graphics and Level Design by Andrew Leigh SHAREWARE VERSION - PLEASE DISTRIBUTE EVERYWHERE About MegaMaze ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ MegaMaze is a multi-player game for up to four players. Each player controls their own space ship using the keyboard, and travels through the many different mazes included, collecting gems, new weapons, and trying to annihilate all other opponents. THIS GAME IS SHAREWARE. PLEASE REGISTER IT. In the registered version you will get: ú 40 levels (including the 10 supplied in the shareware version) ú The Maze Editor utility to make you own levels ú A high score facility ú The latest version of MegaMaze We aren't asking much for this game considering the work we've both put into it, so please print out the registration form called REGFORM.TXT. You may only use this game for a period of 14 days before registering. You can still, however, distribute it after this time (and we would appreciate it if you did!) License Agreement ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ THE UNMODIFIED SHAREWARE VERSION OF THIS GAME MAY BE DISTRIBUTED IN ANY WAY AT ALL AS LONG AS THERE IS NO CHARGE OTHER THAN A SMALL DISTRIBUTION FEE IF NECESSARY. THE SHAREWARE VERSION OF THIS GAME MAY _NOT_ BE MODIFIED IN _ANY_ WAY WITHOUT THE WRITTEN PERMISSION OF STUART CAMERON (ME)! THIS ALSO MEANS THAT HOME-MADE LEVELS OR THE REGISTERED ONES MUST NOT BE DISTRIBUTED. THE LEVELS INCLUDED IN THE SHAREWARE VERSION OF THIS GAME MAY NOT BE MODIFIED IN ANY WAY, NOR MAY OTHER LEVEL EDITORS BE MADE FOR THIS PURPOSE. THE REGISTERED VERSION OF THIS GAME IS NOT TO BE DISTRIBUTED. THOSE WHO DISTRIBUTE IT WILL BE TRACKED DOWN AS EACH GAME HAS ITS OWN ENCODED SERIAL NUMBER. ANY ATTEMPT TO MODIFY THIS WILL RESULT IN THE DESTRUCTION OF THIS PROGRAM. WE WILL NOT BE HELD RESPONSIBLE FOR ANY DAMAGE CAUSED THROUGH THE USE OF THIS PROGRAM, HOWEVER UNLIKELY. Requirements: ~~~~~~~~~~~~~ ú 286 CPU or above ú VGA Graphics ú Mouse ú Hard Disk Supports: ~~~~~~~~~ ú SoundBlaster ú Optional 386 32-bit mode Installation ~~~~~~~~~~~~ To install MegaMaze, decompress the archive it came in (probably MEGAM11A.ZIP or MEGAM11A.ARJ) into a MegaMaze directory. Once finished, run the SETUP.EXE program. You will see a menu on the screen with options on it, each option with a number before it. By typing in the number corresponding to the menu option required you can change the information on your computer's setup. The first menu option is your sound card's configuration. Type 1 and press enter. You will now be asked whether or not your have a SoundBlaster or compatible card. If you do, choose this option. If not, or if you are unsure, select PC Speaker. If you chose SoundBlaster, you will be asked to choose the address and interrupt of your card. The default value is shown in each case. Menu item 2 is the computer slow-down option. This is the number of milliseconds that your computer will pause between frames. The larger the number, the slower the game. Generally a good number is about 3. This menu option is optional and the setting is only used if you run MegaMaze with the -slowdown parameter or by running the MEGASLOW.BAT file. Menu item 3 toggles whether or not the program will use 32-bit graphics routines. Enable this if you have a 386 or better. When finished, choose menu item 4 to save your configuration details. You are now ready to play the game! Starting MegaMaze ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Change to the megamaze directory with the CD command, and then type MEGAMAZE to start the game. New to version 1.1a is a manual slowdown option. If you would like to run MegaMaze at a different speed, you can start it by running the MEGASLOW.BAT file. The speed can be adjusted in the SETUP program by putting in a number under the slowdown option. The larger the number, the slower the game runs. Try 3 to begin with. The Main Menu ~~~~~~~~~~~~~ The main menu consists of six options. There are: Start Game This button starts the game Players Chooses the number of players (displayed at the bottom of the screen) Instructions Displays a number of screens filled with instructions on playing the game, including what various weapons do etc. Maze Editor Clicking on this will take you to the maze editing screen (* registered version only - SO REGISTER NOW!) About Displays information on who made the game and how to register if you haven't already done so. The registration form can be printed from this screen. Exit to Dos This exits MegaMaze and returns you to the DOS prompt. After approximately 10 seconds, the high score table will appear. If you can't be bothered waiting, press the 'H' key on the keyboard. Each of the menu options can also be chosen using the keyboard. 'S' starts the game, 'P' adjusts the number of players, 'I' displays the instructions, 'E' activates the maze editor in the registered version, 'A' displays the about screen, and 'X' exits to DOS. Playing the Game ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Format: FIRE UP LEFT DOWN RIGHT Each person has four keys on the keyboard that they use to control their ship. Here are these keys: Q W O P SP UP 7 8 | | | | A-S-D L-;-' LF-DN-RT 4-5-6 (arrow keys + space) Player 1 Player 2 Player 3 Player 4 As you move around though the maze you will come across and pick up a number of useful items. Gems are the most important, as not only do you get the most points for collecting them (200 points each), but you must collect all of them before moving onto the next level. Be quick, because there's a time limit for each level which is displayed at the bottom right of the game screen. There are six different types of weapons which can be collected, each having its own properties. Everyone starts off each level with nothing more than bullets. There is an unlimited supply of these, so you can shoot as many as you want at the other players. They will cause 5% damage to anyone they hit. All other weapons must be collected. These include Lasers, Super Lasers, Missiles, Stuns, and NUKES. Lasers and Super Lasers behave in a similar way to bullets, in that they will hit walls etc but will not damage them. They will damage other players though, so watch out! Lasers cause 10% damage, and Super Lasers cause 20%. Be warned though, you only get 10 lasers or 5 super lasers. Missiles are rather nice weapons in that they will cause 45% damage to anyone caught in the blast when they hit something, so make sure you're not too close to your target when shooting. Missiles will actually blast away sections of the maze walls, making them a handy asset if you want to make a quick get-away. However, you only get three for each set that you pick up, so use them wisely! Stuns can be rather deadly when used correctly. When you pick up a stun, you only get one shot at hitting your opponent, so aim carefully! Anyone who is hit by a stun will not be able to move or shoot for approximately 5 seconds, making them defenceless. Nukes are the ultimate weapon in MegaMaze. They are similar to missiles in that they will destroy walls, but the blast radius is much larger and it will cause 100% damage to anyone nearby. You get one shot for each nuke collected. Health can be collected throughout the game. This gives you 50% more health (with a limit of 100%). Shields can be collected on some levels, which make you invincible for approximately 10 seconds. Not even a nuke can harm you! So it's a good idea to get out of there if you see someone with a shield heading in your direction. When using a shield, the player's score box will turn blue. When landed on, warps will teleport you from one warp to another. This can be much faster than travelling from one side of the screen to the other, and can be a quick way to escape from an incoming nuke! For more detail on each of these, look at the in-built help in MegaMaze. The Maze Editor ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ REGISTERED VERSION ONLY!!