Vyper

Vyper is a challenging game of skill, logic and a little luck.  For help with help, press F1.

How to Play:

Overview

Playing the Game

Scoring

Tips

How To Register

Menu Options:

File Menu

Options Menu

Help Menu

See Also:

Vyper Designer


Overview

You are a viper who lives in the Mayan ruins in Cancun (Mayan for Snake Nest).  You are a very health conscious viper - you like to eat flowers.  To continue to the next level of the ruins, you must eat a certain number of flowers.  There are special venom flowers that allow you to eat the spiders, which creates fertilizer to grow more flowers.  Without the venom flowers, however, the spiders will kill you when they attack your head.  The rest of your body has tough scales which repel the spiders.

Starting Egg

  	Vyper

Flower

Wall

Spider

Bottomless Pit

Venom Flower

See Also:

Playing the Game

Scoring

Tips


Playing the Game

You move around the screen by using the arrow keys to move left, right , up, and down.  You can also move by pointing the mouse in the direction you want to go and holding down the left mouse button.  Note:  It is easier to use the keyboard than to use the mouse.  You cannot move backwards, so if you become trapped, you will die.

Click on the different parts for more information.

See Also:

Overview

Scoring

Tips


Your current score.  You get a free life every 3000 points.


The level that you are currently on.  There are 50 levels if you are registered..


The number of lives you have left.  In this case, you have 3 lives left.


How many flowers you must eat before you can leave this level.


 This is the starting point.  You are inside of the egg, so you cannot be hurt until you move out of it with the arrow keys


 This is you after you come out of your egg.  You can move around by using the arrow keys.  You will die if a spider attacks your head, you try to eat a spider without the antidote, you go into a bottomless pit, or you trap yourself.  You must keep moving or you will lose points.  You cannot move backwards  Every time you eat a flower, you will grow one segment longer.


 Eat these flowers for energy.  The scoreboard will tell you how many you have left to eat.


 This is a wall.  You will lose points if you run into it, but you will not die.


 This is a spider.  If you try to eat it with out the venom flower, or it attacks you in the head, you will die.


 This is a bottomless pit.  If you go into it, you will die.


 This is a flower containing venom.  If you eat it, the spiders will turn blue for a limited time and you can eat them.


Scoring

There are two ways to gain points:

(1)  Eat flowers - each flower is worth a certain number of points depending on the level that you are on.

(2)  Finish a level - you get bonus points based on how long you are when you finish a level.  You get 5 points per segment on normal speed, 10 points per segment on fast speed.

There are two ways to lose points:

(1)  Bump into a wall - you will lose 1 point every time you attempt to move to a position which is occupied by a wall.

(2) Bump into yourself- this will cause you to stop moving, and you will lose 1 point per each attempt.

Remember that you are constantly moving.  If you move in a direction that causes you to lose points, you will continue to lose points until you move in a different direction.

You get a free life every 3000 points.


Tips

When you come to a new screen, check out which flowers you need to eat first.  Some may not be accessible once you get too long.

Once you acquire a lot of segments, you can use your length to block off the spiders so that they cannot get to your head.

If you press and hold down the arrow keys you will move quickly in that direction.  The delay before first repeat and repeat rate are governed by Windows settings in Control Panel - Keyboard.  Choose the shortest delay before first repeat and the fastest repeat rate for maximum control.

If you want your own MIDI song files to be played, you can edit the file VYPER.INI in the Windows directory.  This file contains the names of the songs that are played.


How To Register
How To Register Vyper

Vyper is shareware.  Shareware does not mean free.  If you enjoy this game, please register your copy with the author.  You can register by filling out the Registration Form and sending it and the registration fee of $6.00 to the author.

The easiest way to register is online with Compuserve in the Shareware Registration Forum.  Type GO SWREG and choose Register Shareware - Registration ID 5273.  The registration fee will be billed to your Compuserve account, and the author will E-Mail you your registration number.  This is the fastest way to register.  Unfortunately, $10.00 is the lowest Compuserve will price a product, so if you use this method, it will cost $10.00.

By registering, you will receive a registration number which, when entered along with the registered name will provide you the following:

Removal of Shareware Reminder Dialogs from the beginning of Vyper and Vyper Designer.

Increase the number of levels from 5 to 50.  This will allow you to access 45 more predesigned levels and design more levels yourself.

A warm fuzzy feeling for supporting the concept of Shareware - Try before you buy.

Please feel free to pass along copies of Vyper to your friends and to bulletin boards.  You are encouraged to do this as long as you include all of the documentation included with the distribution package.

Please send me comments on the game such as how you like it, bugs you find (except spiders), or things that you would like improved.  Send comments to the address on the registration form or to me via Compuserve at 75551,2370 (75551.2370@compuserve.com if you are on the Internet).  Any feedback is appreciated.

Registration Form


Registration Form
Vyper Registration Form

Print this form by choosing File -- Print Topic from the Help Menu.  Mail this form along with a check or money order in US funds for $6.00 to:

Mark A. Lanz

4759 Keefer Highway

Lyons, MI   48851

Please Print or Type:

Name:	__________________________________________________

Address: 	__________________________________________________

City: 	__________________________________________________

State: 	__________________________________________________

ZIP Code: 	__________________________________________________

Country: 	__________________________________________________

E-Mail Address (optional): 	_____________________________________

Where did you get your copy of Vyper? (optional):

_____________________________________________________________

_____________________________________________________________


Vyper File Menu

Open	Open a new playing field.  This will terminate the current game.

New Game	Start a new game.

Register	Enter registered name and registration number.  See How To Register to learn how.

Exit	Exit Vyper.

See Also:

Options Menu

Help Menu


Vyper Options Menu

Starting Level	Allows you to specify which level you will start on when you begin a new name.

High Scores	Shows the top five scores for the current playing field.

Continuation	If this option is checked, the last level entered before dying will become the starting level.

Sound Effects	If this option is checked, sound effects will be heard when you bump into things, die, get a free life, finish a level, etc.

Background Music	If this option is checked, MIDI music will play as you play the game.  A new song will be picked at random for each level.

Normal Speed	If this option is checked, you and the spiders will move at a moderate speed.

Fast	If this option is checked, you and the spiders will move at twice the normal speed.

See Also:

File Menu

Help Menu


Vyper Help Menu

Table of Contents	Gets you to this help file and goes to the Table of Contents.

How to Register	Gets you to this help file and goes to How to Register.

About	Gives copyright and registration information.

See Also:

File Menu

Options Menu


Vyper Designer

The Vyper Designer allows you to create screens for use with Vyper.  Use the mouse to draw the objects on the screen and then save to a file.  You can then open the file within Vyper, and play the levels that you created.

For each level, you specify Magic Number and Pts Per Flower.

Menu Options:

File

Edit

Objects

Help


Designer File Menu

New	Creates a new playing field.  All levels will be blank.

Open	Opens an existing playing field.

Save	Saves the current design to a file with the current name.  This file can be opened from within Vyper.

Save As	Saves the current design to a file.  You specify the name and location of the file.  This file can be opened from within Vyper.

Properties	Allows you to specify the level.  On that level you can specify the magic number and points per flower.

Count Flowers	Counts how many flowers are on the current screen and allows you to enter that number as the magic number.

Exit	Exit Vyper Designer.


Designer Edit Menu

Undo	Undo last drawing action.

Copy	Copies the entire level into an internal buffer.

Paste	Pastes an entire level over the current level.


Designer Objects Menu

Allows you to change the current drawing object to one of the following:

Ground

Wall

Flower

Venom

Start	Only use 1 per level

Pit

Spider	Only use 16 per level

You can also get this menu by pressing the right mouse button.


Designer Help Menu

Table of Contents	Gets you to this help file and goes to Vyper Designer.

About	Gives copyright and registration information.


The number of points the player will get for every flower eaten.