Copyright: Hypervisual help file version 1.00. Copyright © 1998 Hypervisual. All rights reserved.


Contents
Overview

Hypervisual Century is a free gift from Hypervisual to you: a digital slot machine simulator.

Visit Hypervisual Century's web site to the latest news, updates, and tech support at http://hypervisual.com/century.

The basics

Even if you don't like to read manuals, we advise you to read at least the sections below:

Quick tour

Features

How to get help

How to play

The basic slot machine game is widely known; simply pull the handle and have fun! Nevertheless, you may want to see the sections below to get the most from your game:

Screen controls and areas

Bets

Payoff table

Autobet feature

Reel lock feature

Jackpot prize

Useful hints

Keyboard shortcuts

Frequently asked questions

Credits

How the game was made

About Hypervisual

Disclaimer, user license and trademarks and copyrights

Credits and acknowledgments

Hypervisual is also the creator of the award-winning digital building toy, Hypervisual Blockworks. Visit it at http://hypervisual.com/blockworks.

We wish you lots of luck with Hypervisual Century!

Hypervisual Century help file version 1.0
Copyright © 1998 Hypervisual. All rights reserved.


Quick tour

Hypervisual Century is a digital slot machine simulator. Its realistic and extremely original interface sports three large reels with three paylines. Learn its features in more detail here.

The ability to make multiple bets per payline, together with the reel lock feature, allow you to make strategic decisions that may lead you to your goal -- winning the jackpot. So... good luck!

Hypervisual Century is also a tribute from our design team to the technological and design achievements of the 20th century.

Be sure to see also the sections below:

Features

How to get help


Features

Hypervisual Century's main features are listed below:

The design

• 3-D rendered, realistic interface

• Original design inspired in the 20th century technology

• Large reels and clear symbols

• Realistic sounds

The game

• Three paylines

• Multiple bets per payline (up to 12 coins)

• Jackpot prize

• Autobet feature

• Reel lock feature

The interface

• Sound and visual effects designed to make you feel like you're actually playing the game

• Quick reference screen from within the game

• Complete documentation

• Player may use mouse or keyboard


How to get help

Quick reference screen

The game has a quick reference screen that may be accessed anytime by the player. Click the large payoff table at the right side of the screen. This screen shows the name of all controls and screen areas. To go back to the game, click anywhere on screen.

Help file

To learn about the game in more detail, click the word "Help" in the bottom part of the payoff table. This will open the help file.

Web site

An updated FAQ list, solution for common problems and other issues can be found at http://hypervisual.com/century.

Additional documentation

Other files that provide additional information are:

README.TXT	Introduction, installation, file list, user license and contact points

FILE_ID.DIZ	Short description

See also

Overview


Controls and screen areas

Each of the controls and screen areas is explained below. The name of all controls can be found at the quick reference screen, that may be accessed anytime by the player by clicking the large payoff table at the right side of the screen.

For more information, click the highlighted links in this page. Click here to go to the contents page.

Controls

Coin insert slot

Click this area to insert a coin into the machine. The limit is twelve bets.

Coin return button

This button, located at the right of the coin slot, returns one coin at a time.

Handle

Click the handle to spin the reels.

Autobet control

This key activates the autobet, feature, that reinserts the same amount used in the last bet into the machine.

Reel locks

Each lock forces the reel situated immediately above it to remain still in the next turn.

Indicator lights

Bet indicator lights

Each set of red lights refers to a payline. Bets vary from zero to four coins per line.

Payline indicator lights

These green lights flash when the corresponding payline pays. They remain on until the next turn begins.

Jackpot warning light

Whenever the jackpot changes, this light flashes. It also shows when the player wins the jackpot.

Numeric indicators

Payoff

This indicator shows the amount of money that was payed to the player during the last turn.

Player credits

This indicator shows the total amount of money owned by the player.

Jackpot prize

This is the value of the jackpot.

Other areas

Coin exit slot

Coins paid or returned to the player or coins exit through this slot to the lower tray.

Reels

Each reel has a different layout, consisting of 20 symbols. There are 8 different symbols (eye, banana, bar, watermelon, bell, cherry, lemon, and grapes)

Payoff table

The table shows the winning combinations and the payoff multiplier. It also highlights the lines that pay the jackpot with a gold bar.

Commands

Payoff table

The payoff table doubles as a quick reference area; click it to show the reference screen.

Help

Click here to open the help file.

Exit

Click here to end the game.

See also

Keyboard shortcuts

Overview


Bets

How to bet

Click the coin insert slot to bet. A coin will be inserted and an indicator lamp will light up in the corresponding line. The more you bet, more chances you have to win. More coins make higher bets. To bet more, click again to obtain the total desired. The maximum coins you can insert is twelve.

The first coin lights line 1 (central payline), the second coin lights line 2 (upper payline), and the third coin lights line 3 (lower payline). The table below shows all possible combinations:

-----------------------

|  Coins |    Lines   |

|   bet  |  1   2   3 |

+--------+------------+

|    0   |  0   0   0 |

|    1   |  0   1   0 |

|    2   |  1   1   0 |

|    3   |  1   1   1 |

|    4   |  1   2   1 |

|    5   |  2   2   1 |

|    6   |  2   2   2 |

|    7   |  2   3   2 |

|    8   |  3   3   2 |

|    9   |  3   3   3 |

|   10   |  3   4   3 |

|   11   |  4   4   3 |

|   12   |  4   4   4 |

-----------------------

Payoff

When you obtain a winning combination, the line multiplier will be multiplied by the amount of coins. For example, if you bet 4 coins and obtain a combination that pays 30 in line 1 (central payline), you will receive double payment, because there are two coins in that line.

Multiple payoff

It is possible to obtain a multiple payoff, i.e., win in more than one line. In this case, you will receive the sum of the coins in each payline times the corresponding multiplier.

Coin return

To return a coin, click the coin return button. Coins will be released one at a time in the coin exit slot and the corresponding indicator will go off. If you remove all coins, the handle will not be available to play.

Autobet

The autobet feature is very useful; it spares you the trouble of inserting coins manually each turn. Click here to know how it works.


Payoff table

The payoff table shows:

• The winning combinations

• The payline multipliers

• The lines that pay the jackpot

Winning combinations

The winning combinations are represented by small symbols.

To win a combination, reels have to be positioned in the sequence shown. For instance, if a winning combination is cherry/cherry/bar, the sequence cherry/bar/cherry will pay nothing.

The symbol "ANY" acts as a wildcard in a specific position. For example, the sequence cherry/cherry/any will pay regardless of the symbol in the third position.

Payline multipliers

Payline multipliers are numbers that indicate how many times the coins inserted are paid to the player. If the player bet two coins and won a combination that pays 30, he will get 60 coins.

Lines that pay the jackpot

Lines that pay fractions of the jackpot are marked with a gold bar. Click here for more detail.

Quick reference

The payoff table doubles as a quick reference area. Click anywhere in this area (except in the word Help, that would open the help file) to go to the quick reference screen, where all areas, commands and controls are shown.


Autobet feature

The autobet feature reinserts automatically the same amount of coins that the player has bet in the last turn.

Playing with the autobet feature on

The autobet feature is useful to spare you the trouble of inserting coins manually each turn. For instance, if you have bet three coins in the last turn, three more coins will be inserted next turn.

Despite this feature, you are always free to modify your bet anytime.

Playing with the autobet feature off

If the autobet feature is deactivated, there will be no coins inserted when you finish a turn; this means that you will not be able to pull the machine handle. In this case, you will have to insert the coins desired one at a time. This may be convenient if you wish to manually control the number of coins inserted.

Enabling and disabling autobet

The autobet feature is normally on. This is indicated in the autobet control to the left of the coin insert slot by a bright blue light and the red lever pointing upwards. The autobet feature can be disabled by clicking the control. The red lever will point to the left and the blue light will go off. To enable the autobet feature again, click the control again.


Reel lock feature

You can lock one or two reels of the slot machine so you can try to obtain a specific combination in the next turn. For example, if you get two watermelons, you can lock two reels to try a third one next turn.

Conditions for reel locking

To lock a reel, you must insert at least three coins. To lock two reels, you must insert at least six coins. The locks themselves indicate whether they can be activated: if the lock lever is open and pointing upwards, the lock can be activated; if the black sphere is centered, the lock lever disappears and the reel cannot be locked.

The table below shows the maximum number of locks that can be activated according to the number of coins inserted:

------------------------

|  Coins |    Locks    |

| insert.|   allowed   |

+--------+-------------+

|    0   |      0      |

|    1   |      0      |

|    2   |      0      |

|    3   |      1      |

|    4   |      1      |

|    5   |      1      |

|    6   |      2      |

|    7   |      2      |

|    8   |      2      |

|    9   |      2      |

|   10   |      2      |

|   11   |      2      |

|   12   |      2      |

------------------------

Besides, reel locking will not be possible in the following situations:

• In the first turn of each game session

• After a turn where you have locked one or two reels

• After a turn where you have won in one or more paylines

• After a turn where you have lost all your money

• After a turn where you have configured a winning combination, even if you have not bet on it. For example, if you have bet 1 coin for the last turn and obtained two watermelons in line 2 (upper payline), you will not be able to lock any reel.

How to lock and unlock a reel

To lock a reel, click the lock located above the reel you intend to lock. The lock lever will turn clockwise and a gear tooth protuberance rude will hold the reel in place. To unlock it, click the lock again.


Jackpot prize

You can win the jackpot if you bet three or more coins. This is a high value that increases continuously with each play:

• Each coin inserted adds a small amount to the jackpot;

• Each turn adds a random value to the jackpot.

To win

You have to bet three or more coins to win the jackpot. You must configure one of the combinations marked in the Payoff table with a gold bar.

Payoff

The first jackpot combination pays 1/12 of the jackpot per coin; the second pays 1/24 of the jackpot per coin. Thus, the more coins you bet, the larger will be the amount of the jackpot that you'll win. If you bet 12 coins and get the first jackpot combination, you'll win all the jackpot!

When you win the jackpot, the jackpot warning light flashes and a distinctive sound is heard.

Jackpot reset

The jackpot is never allowed to go below 2,000.00. When this occurs, the jackpot warning light will flash indicating that the jackpot was set to the minimum value.

Losing the jackpot

If your credits go below the value of a single coin, they will be adjusted to 200.00 and the jackpot will be reset to minimum. Therefore, take good care of your money! In this case, the jackpot warning light will flash indicating that the jackpot was set to 2,000.00.


Keyboard shortcuts

You can play Hypervisual Century with the mouse, with the keyboard or with a combination of the two.

The following keyboard shortcuts are available:

Key	what it does

H or F1	Help

Spacebar	Pull the handle and spin the reels

I or Enter	Insert a coin

R or Backspace	Remove a coin

1	Lock/unlock reel 1

2	Lock/unlock reel 2

3	Lock/unlock reel 3

B or Tab	Enable/disable the autobet feature

Esc or Q	Exit the game


Frequently asked questions

Visit Hypervisual Century's web site at http://hypervisual.com/century to the latest news, updates, and technical support.

The basics

Why are you giving away this game? Where is the catch?

There is no catch. The game is free because it is a way to show our work. Hypervisual Century is a gift for you.

The game

I got three eyes or three watermelons with one coin. Why didn't I win the jackpot?

The jackpot is paid according to the coins you bet. You have to insert at least 3 coins to win the jackpot.

What happens when I lose all my money?

Be careful! You are almost losing your jackpot. When you lose all your money, your credits will be reset to 200.00 and the jackpot will go back to 2,000.00.

Why was the jackpot suddenly reset to 2,000.00?

This happens every time that your credits go below the value of a single coin. Distinctive sounds and animations are shown. You will have to start all over again!

Why can't I lock any reel?

You have configured a winning combination, locked a reel in the previous turn, are starting the game or have lost all your money in the last turn.

But I didn't win or lock any reels in the last turn. Why can't I lock the reels?

You have configured a winning combination in the last turn. Even if you have not bet on it, the machine forbids you to lock any reel.

The system

The message "Your system must be configured to 32 k colors or more (high-color) to run this program" appeared. What must I do?

To change video configurations, go to Control Panel, run the Video icon and click the Settings tab. In the Color Palette combo box, select High Color or True Color. If the system asks you to restart your machine, do it. An easier and more straightforward way to accomplish the same effect is using a quick screen resolution utility like QuickRes, available directly from the Microsoft site.

I need to change my hard disk but I don't want to lose my jackpot. How can I do it?

The CENTURY.DAT file contains the current reel position, the player credits, the coins inserted, the state of the autobet feature and the jackpot value after each turn. This file is in the same folder where you installed the game. If you ever change hard disks or computers, backup this file and reinstall it.

Can I change any game configurations?

Maybe. To discover, send a message with the subject "Can I configure Hypervisual Century?" to century.cheats@hypervisual.com.


How the game was made

The design and the tribute

Hypervisual Century is a tribute to the technological and design achievements of the 20th century. After some initial considerations, an innovative approach was adopted in the interface design. Hence, more than a copy of an existent slot machine, a unique machine was created from scratch. We used a collage of elements from this century, particularly from its first half. The materials used for the 3D modeling are typical from various design periods of this century: wood, bronze, brass, iron, hammered copper, chromed metal. Typology is classical. Some elements refer to Art Nouveau and Art Déco, like the wallpaper, the bronze feet, the decorative indentations in the upper part, and the very shape of the machine. The symbol design also evokes images used in several coin-operated machines in this century.

Image production

Great care was paid to achieve realism in the machine design. A fully 3D rendered interface was as early decision, and several techniques contributed to the high quality imagery in this project. Among them we may list the generous use of textures and the careful study of highlights and shadows, so that the reels, active areas and controls stand out from the rest of the image.

Symbols were designed in large scale, then reduced and manually retouched to achieve a perfect integration with the 3D model.

Interface

Such as the visuals, Hypervisual Century's user interface is unique. There was no worry about maintaining customary standards for a slot machine; our main concern was making a game that is easy to play. Since there is no real money involved, we have designed a user-friendly machine, with no error messages, where it is relatively easy to win. We feel that the player wants to concentrate in the game, not in learning how to play or configure it. Therefore, features like reel lock, autobet, large controls and special cursors were created in order to make the player feel comfortable.

Macromedia Director was chosen for the project core, since an agile and interactive production phase was essential.

Software development

Code was developed in C and Lingo (the language of Macromedia Director). Approximately 1600 new Lingo code lines were written especially for Hypervisual Century, containing all program logic, settings and animations. 700 additional lines belong to the exclusive Hypervisual libraries.

An exclusive Hypervisual technology called FunFonts was used to the counters and payoff table. This technology allows the creation of high-quality, anti-aliased, colored texts that are platform-independent, may have special effects and are perfectly integrated to the background image.

Since it was essential that all files could fit in a single floppy disk, an effective and compact installation utility -- developed exclusively by Hypervisual in C -- was partially rewritten for this application.

Highlights

The list below shows some unique characteristics of Hypervisual Century:

• 15 weeks in production

• 67 different versions during the development phase

• 2300 lines of Lingo code

• 11 animations

• 19 different sound effects

• 80 images, mostly used for animations

Compression techniques

Our initial goal was squeezing in a single disk all of the above list, plus:

• Complete setup and uninstall kit

• Complete documentation

• Quick reference screen

• Opening screen

• Promotional screen

It may seem an impossible task... but we did it! The purpose was to keep costs down, speed up distribution and make easy free copies. This characteristic also makes it small enough to fast Internet downloads. But how was this done? Look below for a list of techniques:

• Special color reduction techniques. New compression techniques allow images to be compressed by as much as 95% of its original size without sacrificing visual quality.

• Resource optimization. Careful planning and painstaking resource selection were made to allow the inclusion of as few files as possible in the final product.

• Use of code instead of elements. The software that was developed for this project allows the elements to be commanded procedurally instead of following predetermined actions. In a regular project, the same results could only be achieved by using a great number of elements, which uses memory and increases disk space.

• Element selection and recycling. Elements that take more memory were reduced to a minimum, and several others are used several times in the project.

• Highly optimized installation software. This exclusive utility performs all installation tasks, icon and group creation, automatic execution and file removal, yet adding only 44 kB to the final archive.


About Hypervisual

Our products

Hypervisual plans and develops personalized solutions in state-of-the-art digital products. Our fields of expertise are:

• Interactive web sites with custom design

• Multimedia CD-ROMs and floppy disks

• Presentations

• 3D industrial product simulators

• Entertainment applications and promotional games

• Special projects with advanced technology and state-of-the-art graphic design

Some highlights

• Mastery in the coordination, scripting and production of large projects

• Ample expertise in the digital design field

• Unlimited possibilities in user interface design and software development

• Know-how in multilingual projects

• High quality 2-D and 3-D imagery production

• A professional team able to create unique soundtracks, voices, translations to several languages, and illustration

1998 portfolio highlights

Our market is focused mainly in South America, especially large companies from Southern Brazil.

• Ipiranga Petroquímica Web site - http://ipq.com.br

• SINEPE/RS Web site - http://sinepe-rs.org.br

• Theatro São Pedro Chamber Orchestra Web site - http://orquestratsp.org.br

• Clara Pechansky Web site - http://pechansky.com.br

• Porto Alegre Environmental Atlas CD-ROM - UFRGS / PMPA / INPE - http://hypervisual.com.br/atlas

• Technological Vanguard and Respect for Nature CD-ROM - COPESUL

• Vizzano / Allegro brands CD-ROM shoes catalog - Beira Rio Shoes

• Ipiranga Petroquímica floppy multimedia catalog

• 1998 Top of Mind presentation - Amanhã Magazine

• Shareware game: Hypervisual Blockworks, virtual building toy - http://hypervisual.com/blockworks

• Promotional game: Hypervisual Century, digital slot machine simulator - http://hypervisual.com/century

Get in touch with HYPERVISUAL and get ready to take over the marketplace.

Commercial contact points

Phone +55 51 311-1009

Fax +55 51 311-3499

Rua Henrique Dias, 109 / conj. 03

90035-100 Porto Alegre/RS

web site: http://hypervisual.com

e-mail: hyper@hypervisual.com


Disclaimer, user license and trademarks and copyrights

The act of installing this program means that you have read and agreed with the terms of this disclaimer and user license.

Disclaimer

This program is designed exclusively for PRIVATE and FREE use. It is only a NON-COMMERCIAL computer game (entertainment software only). Nobody can charge for the use of this program. THIS PROGRAM IS NOT, AND CANNOT BE USED WITH, OR ASSOCIATED TO, A REAL SLOT MACHINE OR ANY OTHER GAMBLING DEVICE. This program is not intended, by any means, to the profit of any person, company or organization. This program CANNOT BE USED in a gambling environment.

User license

Hypervisual Century is freeware (freely distributable, free software). No kind of registration or payment is due for its installation and use and nobody can charge for the program or its files. Hypervisual cannot guarantee that future versions will be free. You can copy and distribute the program freely provided the disclaimer, user license and copyright note remain intact and all files are kept together within its EXE or ZIP archive. None of the files contained in this archive may be used for anything that the original application. The irregular copy or misuse of any of these files is expressly forbidden.

Copyrights

This product complies to the Macromedia Run-time Distribution Agreement and the Made with Macromedia logo agreement. Macromedia Director® and its libraries are Copyright © 1994, 1997 Macromedia, Inc. Interface design, documentation, images, graphical objects and all application elements are copyright © 1998 Hypervisual. All rights reserved. This product uses exclusive Hyperbook technology, developed by Hypervisual. Setup program, Hyperbook Engine and Hyperbook Runtime Library are Copyright © 1994-1998 Hypervisual. All rights reserved. The undue use or distribution of these files are exclusive to Hypervisual. Third parties can only use these files by means of an express written authorization. The undue use of these files is expressly forbidden.

Trademarks

Pentium® is a registered trademark of Intel Corporation.

Windows® and Microsoft® are registered trademarks of Microsoft Corporation.

WinZip® is Copyright Nico Mak Computing, Inc.

Macromedia® and Director® are registered trademarks of Macromedia, Inc.

Hypervisual® is a registered trademark of Hypervisual Design Ltda.


Credits e acknowledgments

Development team

Rubem Pechansky

Creative direction, art direction, 3D computer graphics, software development

Letícia Polydoro de Albuquerque

Creative advisement, Project managing, packaging design, web site design

Márcio Dutra

Web site authoring

Sheila Iscovitz

Text revision, logistics

Collaborators, testers and critics

Lize Jung

Press-agentry

José "Zé" Fernandes Barbosa Neto, Ph.D.

Statistics advisement, testing

Clara Pechansky

Testing

Newton Chwartzmann

Testing

Ricardo Tesche

Testing

Special thanks

Hypervisual would also like to thank Diana Gruber (again) for her wonderful site on game development at http://www.makegames.com. She helped us a lot without knowing it.