You may use any keys to control your ship, except the reserved keys described below. To change the key assignment for a ship function, click on the ship that is performing that function and press the new key that you want to use.
A few keys are reserved for special functions. These keys may not be used for ship controls, and they cannot be changed.
'Q' is reserved for quitting the game.
The 'tab' key is reserved for pausing the game.
The left and right bracket keys ('[' and ']') are reserved for volume control.
The 'delete' key is reserved for resetting the sound. See below for details.
If you want to use the shift key, be sure to turn off Easy Access. Also, be aware that more than two keys used at the same time, other than Shift, Option, Command, Control and Caps Lock, may not work correctly. This is due to a hardware limitation in all keyboards.
And those of you with the Apple Adjustable keyboard need to be aware of a bug in either the keyboard itself or the software that controls it (we’re not sure which) that causes problems when you use keys on both the keypad and the main key island. Apple will be releasing a bug fix someday, but until then you should choose your key settings so that they are all on the keypad or all on the main island if you have problems.
Some older 680x0 machines have a hardware problem that causes the sound to go out when many sounds are played within a very short time. This means that those people who have those systems may find that the sound goes out occasionally while they are playing the game. Unfortunately, there is no way for the program to detect when this has happened. If some or all of the sounds stop playing, you can press the delete key to reset the sound system, and they should start playing again.
• Reduced ring quality •
If this option is on, the rings will be noticeably thinner, but it can improve the frame rate considerably on slower 68K machines. Try this first if the game animation is too jerky. The 'Reduced starfield quality' option will make the rings more visible.
• Reduced starfield quality •
If this option is on, the pretty starfield picture will be replaced with a much simpler starfield. The frame rate should improve a bit, and the rings will be a lot easier to see if the 'Reduced ring quality' option is on.
The game will also use less memory if this option is on. If you are experiencing low-memory problems, such as missing text, pictures or sounds, try turning this option on.
The 'simpler' starfield is a very close approximation to the starfield in the original Star Castle game. Use this option in conjunction with the 'Reduced ring quality' option when playing the Original version of the game to get the full 'Star Castle' effect.
• Reduced screen size •
If this option is on, the game screen will shrink to 512x384 pixels (the Mac “12 inch” screen size) instead of the normal 640x480. This can improve the frame rate quite a bit on slower 68K machines, but probably not as much as the ‘Reduced ring quality’ and ‘Reduced sound quality’ options. If you’re already running the game on a 512x384 screen, this option is not available.
The game will also use less memory if this option is on. If you are still experiencing low-memory problems after turning the ‘Reduced starfield quality’ option on, try turning this option on.
Your ship, the enemy base, and the rings will all shrink accordingly, and space will shrink as well, so that playing on a small screen is just like playing on a larger screen from farther away. That is, you’re not missing anything if you’re playing on a smaller screen - the playfield is essentially the same size.
• Reduced sound quality •
If this option is on, only one sound will be played at a time. This should improve the frame rate noticeably on slower machines. If this option is off, up to four sounds can play at the same time. This increases the depth of sound considerably, but may not be worth the frame rate degradation to some people with slower 68K machines. If this option is on, the enemy base hum and the mine whistle will not play at all, regardless of the ‘Reduced sound effects’ setting. This option is not available if you don’t have Sound Manager 3.0 or greater.
The game will also use less memory if this option is on. If you are still experiencing low-memory problems after turning the ‘Reduced starfield quality’ option on, try turning this option on.
• Reduced sound effects •
If this option is off, and the 'Reduced sound quality' option is off, the base will make a sort of humming sound (the frequency of which varies with the number of active ring segments), and the mines will emit a whistling noise when they're coming for you. The frame rate should improve a lot on slower 68K machines if this option is on. This option is not available if you don’t have Sound Manager 3.0 or greater, or if the 'Reduced sound quality' option is on.
The game will also use less memory if this option is on. If you are still experiencing low-memory problems after turning the ‘Reduced starfield quality’ option on, try turning this option on.
• Reduced game speed •
If this option is on, the game will run at about half it’s normal speed. You might want to turn this option on for young children, who don’t have the hand-eye coordination it takes to play the game at normal speed.
