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- You are the explorer.
- You must collect all diamonds before going to the exit.
- Boulders kill you when they fall on top of you.
- Arrows kill you when they hit you.
- Mines explode and kill you on contact.
- The monster eats you and is killed by arrows
- or falling boulders.
- The baby monster eats you and is killed by being
- trapped in a cage.
- Rocks are impassable.
- The bomb explodes when a boulder falls on top of it.
- The balloon floats up and is harmless.
- The thingy is something you can push around.
- The time capsule gives you more movement points.
-
- Your object is to guide the explorer using the arrow
- keys (or h,j,k,l keys) to collect all the diamonds and
- then go to the exit. Note that monsters move when you
- press any key (except designated function keys).
-
- The program records all your keystrokes, so if you get
- killed or restart the level, then you can play back your
- moves by pressing the function key F5 after restarting
- the level. (The F5 key on top of your screen will indicate
- when playback mode is available.) The program will
- continue to execute all your moves until it is interrupted
- (by pressing any key). It should stop two moves before you
- get killed. Any further movement keys will now be recorded
- from this position.
-
- The game defaults to map mode, which allows you to see
- the whole screen; however, by pressing the F3 key you may
- switch to zoom mode or back to map mode. The zoom mode
- allows you to appreciate the graphics better but makes
- the game more difficult. Graphics also runs a little slower.
- I recommend you staying in map mode.
-
- The F6 function key drops down a menu of additional
- options which are explained below. Use the up and down
- arrow keys to select the item which you wish to modify.
- Change its value with the left and right arrow keys and
- exit when you are done using the ESC key or Enter key.
-
-
- This game/puzzle is an adaptation of the old boulder
- dash game called Wanderer developed by Steven Shipway
- in 1988. The game was ported to many different platforms
- and comes with 61 challenging levels designed by a team
- of people (see credits file in the screen subdirectory).
- The original version of the program used character graphics
- and primitive audio effects. (A revival of the original
- game, wand330.zip, uses the termcap/curses graphics and can
- be found at the x2ftp.oulu.fi ftp site in the
- pub/msdos/programming/gamesrc subdirectory.) Using the
- free GNU DJGPP compiler, the ALLEGRO game develop-
- ment package (swapware) developed by Shawn Hargreaves
- and the free xspred sprite editor developed by Antoine
- Requet, I adapted this program to use SVGA graphics
- and more interesting audio effects. Besides introducing
- the automatic record/playback feature, I have added a few
- other features that are available from the configure menu
- (press the F6 key). First, to prevent you from getting
- discouraged with the difficult levels, I have added a
- separate set of easy levels placed in the subdirectory
- called easy. These levels are adaptations of the original
- levels that came with the game. You may choose this
- directory in the F6 menu by changing the level set parameter
- from standard levels to training levels. Secondly, there
- are two choices of sprites which may be selected from
- the same menu.
-
- The animation parameter controls the speed of the falling
- blocks, shooting arrows etc. Inexperienced players may find
- it useful to slow down the animation in order to follow
- the sequence of events in a chain reaction. The speed of
- playback initiated with the F5 key can be changed by
- altering the playback parameter. (Note that animation and
- playback is slower in zoom graphics mode as the program is
- busy remapping the screen.)
-
- Solutions to levels that I have worked out have been put
- into a subdirectory called solu in both the screens and
- easy subdirectories. You may load the solution by holding
- the control key and typing l (like the first letter in the
- word load). If you solve a level which I have not worked
- out or find a more direct solution with fewer moves, the
- program will automatically record it in the solu
- subdirectory and give you an acknowledgement.
-
- I apologize for not having gotten around to implementing
- the level editor. A level editor comes with the older
- version wand330.zip mentioned above.
-
- The game and sources which I am providing are public
- domain. You are free to use it any way you wish. For
- those wishing to trace the origin of the program, I
- managed to find an early version (1988) at the
- ftp.uu.net site in the path
- usenet/comp.sources.games/volume5/. The wand330.zip file
- which I created last winter is based on the Atari St1040
- port which can be found at the atari.archive.umich.edu
- ftp site in the path atari/Games/Puzzle/wanderer.arc.
- I hope this implementation gives renewed life to this
- old game.
-
- 22 October 1997.
-
- Seymour Shlien
- 624 Courtenay Avenue
- Ottawa, Canada, K2A 3B5
-
- seymour.shlien@crc.doc.ca
-
-
-