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Snakin’

Copyright © 1998, Vikram Madan, All rights reserved.

Contents

•	 Game Overview

•	 Game Options

•	 Registering the Game ( Snakin’ Registration Form )

•	 The Snakin’ Level Editor

•	 Game Distribution

•	 Frequently Asked Questions

•	 Troubleshooting

•	 Disclaimer

Author Contact Information:

Snail-Mail: Vikram Madan P.O.Box 95594 Seattle WA 98145-2594 USA	E-mail: vikram@eskimo.com v_madan@msn.com vmadan@bigfoot.com
	WWW: http://www.eskimo.com/~vikram


Snakin’ Game Overview

The object of this game is simple. Your snake is very restless and can’t stop slithering all over the screen. You control the direction your snake moves in. Your goal is to keep your snake alive for the longest possible time. Make sure that the snake doesn’t crash into anything and make sure that your snake is well-fed (so that its life-force doesn’t finish from exhaustion).

(This is much more fun than it sounds ).

Note that:

•	The longer your snake moves around, the more tired your snake gets

•	The more tired your snake gets, the lower its life-force

•	The lower the life-force, the more goodies the snake has to eat to feel better

•	The more goodies your snake eats, the longer the snake gets

•	The longer the snake gets, the longer it takes to move around (repeat over)

There are lots of different options for the game - try them all for extended fun and pleasure. (Some options are available only in the registered version of this game. If you enjoy the shareware version of this game, please consider registering so that you can unlock the full potential of the game).

Miscellaneous Game Play Information

•	When you start the Snakin’ game program, a dialog box comes up that will let you specify the type of game, the starting level and difficulty and sound and music options (see Game Options section for more details).

•	Make your selection and press OK one or more times to start a new game. When the new game starts, press any key to let your snake enter the game area from the side.

•	Your snake can only move in a forward direction or turn right or left. It cannot reverse its path.

•	To make the snake move in a particular direction, just press the corresponding key once. You don’t need to keep the key pressed in order for the snake to keep moving in that direction.

•	Maneuver your snake away from any obstructions and towards any goodies on the screen. The snake will crash if it hits stones or bricks. However the snake can go over plants without any problems.

•	Your snake has 5 lives. When your 5 lives are over, the game ends. If you score high enough, you will get bonus lives throughout the game. You lose a life whenever you crash into something or whenever your life-force hits 0.

•	In each game, your snake will see lots of goodies to eat. All goodies are good for you except the poison bottles. Avoid these bottles as much as possible.  The red hearts are really nice goodies as they boost the snake’s life-force by up to 50%.

•	To pause the game at any time press ‘P’. To restart a paused game at any time, press ‘P’ again.

•	To quit a game in progress, press the ‘ESC’ key.

•	To start a new game and abort the current game, press F2.

•	High scores are saved in the registered version of the game.

•	 Game Options

•	 Back to Contents


Game Options

Snakin’ has lots and lots of different Game Options. You can set these options from the Game Options dialog.

To get to the Game Options dialog, go to the Snakin’ FILE Menu and select “Game Options…” or go to the Snakin’ OPTIONS Menu and select “Game Type” or “Game Level” or “Game Difficulty”.

In the registered version of this game, the particular options you choose are saved between sessions so that the next time you start the game, game options will default to the last set of options you were using.

For more details on a particular option, click the option below:

Game Type

Game Levels

Game Difficulty

Game Controls

Sound and Music

•	 Registering the Game

•	 Back to Contents


Game Types

There are FOUR different types of Snakin’ games:

1. Snakin’ Challenge

In the Snakin’ challenge, you start the game at a particular level. Then every time you eat a certain number of objects, the game progresses to the next level. Your object is to survive for the maximum number of levels.

2. Snakin’ Survival

In the Snakin’ survival game, you start the game at a particular level and then stay on the same level no matter how many objects you eat. Of course, the snake keeps getting longer and longer so it’ll take your best effort to ensure your snake’s survival

3. Snakin’ Match (For Two-Players)

Two people play each other in the Snakin’ Match. Each person gets their own personal snake to control and cherish. Both compete for the same food resources and obviously you need to play smart to win. See if you can use your snake to trap the other person’s snake or force the other person’s snake to crash into objects. Whoever outlives the other snake wins!

4. Snakin’ Match (Against the Computer)

If you do not have a companion or friend to play a two-player match against, don’t panic, you can match your wits against the computer. The computer will control one snake and try and beat you at your own game. Caution: it’s not as dumb as it looks!

Note that Game Types 3 and 4 above are only available in the registered version of this game. If you have the shareware version of this game, selecting one of the two-snake-game options will launch a demo game in which the computer controls both snakes. This demo game will give you an idea of how much fun a two snake game can be and will hopefully convince you to registering the game.

•	 Back to Game Options

•	 Back to Contents


Game Levels

The Snakin’ game comes with 50 different scintillating levels. (Only 5 of these levels are playable in the shareware version of this game).

In addition to the 50 levels, you can easily design and play your own levels using the Snakin’ Game Editor. Additional Snakin’ levels may also be available on the Internet for free download and use. See the Snakin’ Level Editor for more details.

When you start a new game inside Snakin’, depending on the Game Type, you will have an option of picking the starting level for the game. To view the Game Level dialog, go to the Snakin’ Options Menu and select “Game Level” . You will see 3 choices on this dialog:

1. Start at a specific level.

Enables you to pick any starting level from 1 to 50 ( from 1 to 5 in the shareware version) - you don’t have to play all 50 levels to be able to pick from them. You can start at any available level at any time.

2. Start at a random level.

If you don’t want to choose which level to start from, let the computer pick a starting level at random from the available levels. Adds some spice to the game.

3. Start using a file level.

To use this option, press the “Load File Level” button to load a level from a file. Snakin’ levels are generally stored in files with extensions ‘*.snk’. See the Snakin’ Level Editor section for more information about file levels. The shareware version of Snakin’ includes the fully functional Snakin’ Level Editor and will allow you to create and save Snakin’ Level files. However, you will not be able to load and play those files until you register your copy of Snakin’.

•	 Back to Game Options

•	 Back to Contents


Game Difficulty

There are 3 different Game Difficulty Levels:

•	Easy

•	Normal

•	Hard.

The difference between these difficulty levels varies and controls among other things, snake movement speed, how frequently you get new lives, what kind of edible objects appear on the level etc.

The shareware version only allows you to play the Normal Difficulty Level.

•	 Back to Game Options

•	 Back to Contents


Game Controls

The default key combinations for each snake’s movement are shown below. You can change which keys control the snake by going to the HELP menu and selecting the CONTROLS option.

Keyboard Controls for Player 1 (The Green Snake) are:

UP	RIGHT	DOWN	LEFT
Up Arrow	Right Arrow	Down Arrow	Left Arrow

Keyboard Controls for Player 2 (The Blue Snake) are:

UP	RIGHT	DOWN	LEFT
E	F	C	S
•	 Back to Game Options

•	 Back to Contents


Sound and Music

Snakin provides options to turn both sound and music on or off individually. These options may be unavailable if you do not have a sound card on your system.

The shareware version of Snakin has about one-third the music in the registered version. When you register the game, you will unlock a much richer set of background music.

The Snakin’ music pack, which is part of the Snakin’ game package, contains several different flavors of music. If you prefer a particular flavor, you can restrict music played to that flavor only.

•	 Back to Game Options

•	 Back to Contents


Registering the Game

If you enjoyed playing the shareware version of Snakin’, please consider registering this game. Registration is a quick and simple process and will unlock the full potential of the game which will give you hours and hours of fun-filled game play.

To register this game, print out the Snakin’ Registration Form, fill it out and mail it with your payment to the address on the form. (If you cannot print out the form, just copy the relevant information onto a sheet of paper). When your registration is received, you will be sent a Registration Code which you then enter into the game. That’s all it takes.

(To enter your registration code, start the Snakin’ game, then go to the File Menu and select “Register” - enter the code in the space provided and then click the “Register Me” button. ).

Some enhanced features in the registered version of this game:

•	50 Full Snakin’ Levels for fun and frolicking in.

•	The ability to play against the computer.

•	The ability to play two-player games

•	Three times as much background music.

•	Ability to select Easy and Hard modes.

•	Ability to save high scores.

•	Ability to load and play Snakin’ level files created by you or other people

•	Game settings are saved between sessions for your convenience.

Your registration enables the creation of inexpensive quality software and makes the world a better place to live in. Improve your karma by supporting a shareware author.

•	 Snakin’  Level Editor

•	 Back to Contents


 Snakin’ Registration Form	Today's Date:____________

Snakin' registration costs only U.S.$ 7.00  per registration. Register a copy for yourself or have one sent to a friend as a gift. To register, please fill out the following information:

•	Number of Snakin' copies you wish to register:   _______ copies

•	List the name(s) to whom each copy will be registered:

(1)________________________________________________________________

(2)________________________________________________________________

   (Use backside of this sheet for additional names if ordering more than 2 copies)

•	 [    ]  I would like to receive my registration code by e-mail (No extra charge).

     	E-mail address:____________________________________________

•	[    ]  I would like to receive my code through regular mail at the address below.

              (Foreign addresses - please add U.S. $1.00 per address to cover shipping and handling)

•	[    ]  Please send the Snakin’ Registration code(s) and a copy of Snakin’ on 3.5” floppy by regular snail mail to the address below.  (U.S. Addresses, please add U.S.$2.00 per copy for shipping and handling). (Foreign addresses - please add U.S. $3.00 per copy to cover shipping and handling)

Name:____________________________________________________

Address:__________________________________________________

_________________________________________________________

City:_________________Country:____________Zip:_______________

(if requesting shipping to more than 1 address, use the back of this form for more addresses)

•	Payment method: [    ] Check [    ] Money Order

 Total =  # of copies _____ x $ 7.00 per copy + $____ S&H charge if any = $ ________ (Total)

Make check payable to: Vikram Madan.

Mail your order (and check) to:

Vikram Madan,

P.O.Box 95594,

Seattle, WA 98145-2594, USA.

Note to Foreign registrants - please send your payment in U.S. Dollars. Although you may think its difficult to obtain funds in U.S.$, most banks will be able to issue you a draft or cheque in U.S. funds. Some post-offices will also issue you international money orders in U.S.$.

•	The following information helps in tracking legal and illegal distribution of this game:

[    ] I found my copy of Snakin' on the Internet. ( Please specify URL below):

[    ] I found my copy of Snakin' on a shareware CD collection or catalog or some other

commercial source. ( Please specify name of CD/Publisher below):

[    ] I got my copy from some other source (Please specify if possible):

              ______________________________________________________________________


The Snakin’ Level Editor

The Snakin’ Game Package includes a full fledged but easy-to-use Snakin’ Level Editor.

You can use the Level Editor to create your own personal Snakin’ Game Levels which can then be imported into the game and played. The editor is a WYSIWYG (What-You-See-Is-What-You-Get) editor and allows level creation by simply pointing and clicking (No Programming Required).

The Level Editor comes with its own, detailed help file which will give you more information about the editor. You may be interested in knowing that all the levels in this game were created using the Snakin’ Level Editor.

You may freely distribute any levels created by you using the Snakin’ Level Editor. (Note: if you have registered this game, you may not distribute your registration code with any Snakin’ levels you create).

To start the Snakin’ Level Editor or to view the Snakin’ Level Editor help file, go to the Snakin’ Program Group and start the programs from there.

Note that while the Snakin’ Game Editor provided in the shareware package is fully functional and can be used to create new levels, levels created with the Level Editor cannot be imported into the shareware version of the Snakin’ game. You will need to register the game to be able to play your self-created levels.

Additional levels for the game may be available from the web from time to time. Check the author’s web site for more information about freely download-able levels.

•	 Game Distribution

•	 Back to Contents


Game Distribution

If you are an “individual” (as opposed to a “business”) you may freely distribute the shareware version of this game to your friends, family, colleagues, acquaintances, and even your boss, provided that you do not charge money for said distribution or profit from the said distribution in any manner. You may freely upload the shareware version of this game to any ftp site, BBS, or web site on the Internet. You may also make the shareware version of this game freely available from your personal web site.

If you have registered this game, you may not distribute your registration code to anyone.  Passing your registration code to anyone is unethical and equivalent to software piracy.

If you are a commercial web-site operator who maintains a shareware or freeware web site on the Internet from which end users may freely download programs, without having to pay an access fee or subscription charge to be able to reach and retrieve this program, you may include the shareware version of this game, or hyper-links to this game, on your web site, along with a brief description. If you replicate your shareware or freeware web site onto CD-ROMs (or other media) for sale through commercial mediums (including mail-order) or for any kind of redistribution, please request permission from the author prior to including the shareware version of this program in your collection.

If you are a magazine or periodical that would like to include this game on special CD-ROMs (or other media) as part of one-time-only promotions or specials, for distribution as part of your regular magazine to your readers only, you may include this game on your CD-ROMs (or other media) provided that a copy of any such issue or CD-ROM (or other media) containing this game is mailed to the author at his postal address.

If you are a shareware distributor who specializes in selling shareware or commercial versions of software products through the retail channel or through mail-order or in any other manner (including but not limited to electronic commerce of any kind), you may not include this game on any of your catalogs, floppies, CD-ROMs, or other redistribution media, in individual or bundled format. If you would like to discuss some kind of royalty arrangement in return for non-exclusive rights to redistributing this game through the retail channels, mail order, or other commercial methods, please contact the author with further details about possible arrangements.

Redistributing this software outside the above guidelines is equivalent to software piracy and is punishable to the full extent of the law.

•	 Frequently Asked Questions

•	 Back to Contents


Frequently Asked Questions

•	How do I pause the game while it is in progress ?

. 	Press Ctrl-P to pause the game

•	How do I quit a game already in progress ?

. 	To quit a game in progress, press the ESC key. To start a new game while a game is already in progress, press F2

•	How do I change the music in the middle of the game ?

. 	Press Ctrl-M to stop the music and then Ctrl-M again to start a new tune

•	Sometimes the colors get totally messed up. How do I fix that?

. 	This game is designed to run in video modes of 256 colors or higher. Sometimes, if you are running in 256-color mode, more than one application will try to grab the color palette messing things up for other programs. If this happens to you very frequently consider switching the video mode to a higher color setting. That should fix the problem.

•	Does keeping the keys pressed make the snake move any faster ?

. 	No. The keys only help you control the direction of the snake. Keeping the keys pressed will not make the snake move faster. To change the snake’s direction, you only need to press the corresponding key once. Keeping the key pressed is likely to confuse the snake (and ruin your keyboard in the long run).

•	In a two player game, if one snake is exploding, why does the other snake also start exploding ?

. 	You need to stay far far away from exploding snakes ... exploding is contagious and can kill your snake if your snake goes anywhere near the exploding snake. Its best to stay away from the exploding snake till it has finished exploding completely.

•	Does the computer’s snake cheat ?

. 	No. In fact the computer’s snake has been purposely programmed to make mistakes from time to time. It would be very easy to create a computerized snake that made no mistakes at all but what fun would there be playing against such a snake.

•	Why can’t I play this game in 640x480 mode ?

. 	The problem with the 640x480 mode is that there is hardly any screen estate available to create a satisfactory Snakin level. You can see this by designing a Snakin’ level of size 640x480 in the Snakin’ Level Editor. Since most PCs now come with good Video Cards supporting higher resolutions, this game only plays in 800x600 or higher mode.

•	How can I reduce the length of the snake if it gets too long ?

. 	Well the whole idea of the game is to see how well you can handle your snake if it gets too long. If you are playing the Challenge game, the snake resets its length every time you lose a snake. Thus to reduce the snake size in the Challenge game, just crash your snake into something. If you are playing the Survival game, then the whole idea is to see how long you last and the snake only keeps getting longer.

•	Sometimes I feel that the snake is not responding to the keys I press ?

. 	As with most things in life, timing is everything. If you press the keys too fast, the snake may get confused and ignore your commands. Don’t press the keys too fast and don’t press the keys too slow. You’ll get better at this the longer you play.

•	Do you have any other games that you have written?

. 	If you enjoyed this game, please feel free to try my other games and programs and screensavers - download-able from my web-site:

http://www.eskimo.com/~vikram

If this site is not accessible, try searching on the Web for “Vikram Madan” or “VikTRIS” or “Snakin” or “Monster Eyes”

If you have any pressing questions about the game that would qualify for this section, please email them to the author so that they can be included in future versions of this game.

•	 Troubleshooting

•	 Back to Contents


Troubleshooting

Jus’ send me an e-mail if you are having some problem that you can’t solve. Note that all problems are not solvable so please keep your expectations somewhat low when e-mailing me for help.

•	 Disclaimer

•	 Back to Contents


Disclaimer

This game is provided as-is. No warranties expressed or implied. The author cannot be help responsible for any loss or damages arising from the direct or indirect use of this game. Although this game has been tested to the best of our ability, please play at your own risk.

•	 Back to Contents


Allows you to select the type of Snakin' game you would like to play.


Provides a brief description of the selected Snakin' game type.


Provides options for you to select what level the game should start at. You can:

•	choose a specific level at which the game should start;

•	let the computer randomly choose a starting level for you; or

•	load a level from a Snakin' level file created by you or by someone else using the Snakin’ Level Editor program.


Choose a starting level from the list. The shareware version lets you choose from levels 1 through 5 while the registered version lets you choose from levels 1 through 50.


Click this button to load a level from a Snakin' level file created by you or someone else using the Snakin' Level Editor program.


Click this button to invoke the Snakin' Level Editor program which will allow you to create your own levels for fun and pleasure.


Allows you to turn sound and music on or off.


Select the type of music you prefer from a variety of different music styles.


Drag the slider to select the game difficulty. You can choose between Easy, Normal, and Hard modes.


Shows you which keys on the keyboard are used for controlling the direction of the Snakin' snakes.


When you register the game, you will receive a registration code. Enter that registration code in this field.


Click this button after entering the registration code in the input field next to this button.


Click this button to view a detailed registration form that you can fill out to register this game.


Details on how to register and on why you should consider registering this really great game.


Information about the people behind this friendly neighborhood game.


“ So it’s blurry !”


Information about distributing this game.