Introduction
Space Quarry ™

Version 1.0

Copyright © 1998 Kent Briggs

Briggs Softworks

Introduction

Space Quarry is a fast-paced PC arcade game based on the popular Asteroids video arcade game from the 1970's.  Spin your space ship around and fire at incoming space rocks to destroy them before they destroy you.  Big rocks break into smaller rocks before they can be completely blown away.  Each new round brings more and more rocks at an ever increasing pace to test your hand-eye coordination to the max.  Use keyboard or joystick control.  Play alone or against a friend to see who can advance to the highest round and score the most points.  Space Quarry runs under Windows 95 or NT in 256-color mode or higher. A Pentium class PC or fast 486 processor is recommended.

Software License

Space Quarry is copyrighted software distributed as freeware.  There is no fee for continued use of this program.

Disclaimer

This software is provided as is and without warranty.  The author assumes no liability for damages, either direct or consequential, which may result from the use of this product.

Author Contact and Technical Support Information

Kent Briggs

14314 Cashel Forest Dr.

Houston, TX  77069

E-mail: kbriggs@briggsoft.com

Web Page: http://www.briggsoft.com

Download other Briggs Softworks programs from WWW page:

Puffer - Public key encryption for e-mail and data files

CryptaPix- Graphics viewer/encryptor supporting jpg, gif, png, pcx, tif, and bmp formats

File Maven 95 - Dual-directory file manager for Windows 95 & NT systems

Calendar Commander - Calendar printing software for Windows 95 & NT systems

Miscellaneous

Space Quarry was written in Object Pascal with Borland Delphi

WISE installation package licensed from Great Lakes Business Solutions

Association of Shareware Professionals

Kent Briggs is a member of the Association of Shareware Professionals (ASP).  The ASP wants to make sure that the shareware principle works for you.  If you are unable to resolve a shareware related problem with an ASP member by contacting the member directly, the ASP may be able to help.  The ASP Ombudsman can help you resolve a dispute or problem with an ASP member, but does not provide technical support for members' products. Please write to the ASP Ombudsman at 157-F Love Ave., Greenwood, IN 46142 USA, FAX 317-888-2195, or send email to omb@asp-shareware.org.


General Operation

To start a 1-player game, select that option from the Game menu or press the F2 hotkey.  Press F3 to start a 2-player game.  You get three space ships.  You lose a ship when it collides with a space rock.  The game is over after you crash your third ship.  In the 2-player game, players alternate turns after a crash.

Each round begins with your space ship on the screen and several large rocks floating and spinning through space at various speeds and angles.  The playing area "wraps" around so that when objects exit one side of the window, they reappear on the opposite side.  When you start with a new ship (at the beginning of the game or after a crash), your ship will be green in color, indicating that your shields are on and you cannot be crushed by a rock.  After 8 seconds elapse or as soon as you fire your first missile, the ship turns red and your shields are turned off.

Controls

Left Arrow: spin left (counter clockwise)

Right Arrow: spin right (clockwise)

Up Arrow: move forward

Ctrl: fire missile

Spacebar: hyperspace

Use the left arrow and right arrow keys on your keyboard or move the joystick left or right to rotate your space ship.  The ship will keep spinning while the key is held down or the joystick is held to the side.  Press the Ctrl key or joystick button 1 to fire a missile at a passing rock.  You can fire several shots in a row but you must press and release the Ctrl key/joystick button each time.

You can move your space ship around by firing your thruster with the up arrow key or by pushing the joystick forward.  It is best to tap and release this key/joystick quickly so as not to move too fast.  The ship will continue in the direction pointed until you fire the thruster again in a different direction (or until you collide with a rock).  To stop a moving space ship, you must rotate it in the opposite direction of the movement and fire the thruster again. It is difficult to get a moving space ship back to the center of the screen so firing your thruster should be avoided if possible.

Press the Spacebar or joystick button 2 to activate hyperspace mode, which will transport your ship to a new, random location.  Use the hyperspace function only as a last resort to get yourself out of a jam as the new location may be in the direct path of another rock.

You can configure the keyboard and select different keys for the missile, thrust, hyperspace, and turning controls by using the Options menu.  Joystick selection and sound effects can also be set from the Options menu.  To calibrate your joystick, use the Joystick functions built into Windows 95 (click My Computer, then Control Panel, then Joystick).

Scoring

When you shoot a large rock, you gain 10 points and it will break up into two medium sized rocks.  Shooting a medium sized rock will score 20 points and cause it to break up into two small sized rocks.  Shooting a small rock will score 40 points and cause it to be destroyed completely. You lose 1 point for each shot that you fire so you can maximize your score by taking careful aim and using less ammo.  You also lose one point for fuel each second that elapses in the round so you will want to finish a round as fast as possible to maximize your score.  You can use the Pause function (F4) to freeze the action if you need to leave your computer momentarily.

If your score makes the top 10 list, you will be prompted to enter your name and the 10th highest score will be bumped off the list.  You can view the high score list anytime from the Game menu.  You can clear the high score list by running the SQClear.exe utility included with the program.

Rounds

After you have destroyed the last rock, you advance to the next round.  Round 1 starts with 3 large rocks.  Each new round starts with an additional rock until you reach Round 6, which starts with 8 rocks.  All rounds past that point also start with 8 rocks but the rocks slowing begin to speed up in Round 7 all the way through Round 16.  All rounds past that point will have the same level of difficulty. The game is over after you crash your third ship.