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1989-09-19
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CLONE INVADER
Version 4.4
September 19, 1989
Copyright (c) 1987,1988,1989 Gary Quiring.
All Rights Reserved
Clone Invader is an arcade style game that requires either a CGA,
EGA, or VGA graphics adapter. It is compatible with 8088, 8086,
80286, and 80386 computers. Clone Invader is not compatible with a
computer that has a NEC V series microprocessor.
One of the more difficult parts of writing this game was to find a
real SPACE INVADERS machine. Almost all of the arcade rooms in New
Jersey don't have one anymore. Luckily, I was able to find one on
the Long Branch boardwalk.
During play, the sound can be turned off or on using the S key. The
game can be aborted with the ESC key. The space bar is your fire
key and the arrows on the numeric pad move your base. The mystery
invader is worth 50 - 300 points and the technique of always getting
a 300 point mystery invader applies just like the arcade version.
The first time you run Clone Invader, the game will ask you what
kind of graphics adapter you have. CGA will use 4 colors, EGA will
use 16 colors, and VGA will use 256 colors. If your computer is an
8088 running at 4mhz, I would suggest selecting the CGA setup, even
if your computer has an EGA card. EGA graphics are much slower than
CGA graphics. Computers with an 80386 should select slow speed,
80286 computers should select medium speed, and 8088 computers
should select fast speed.
The graphics adapter, speed, and mouse sensitivity that you select
are stored in the CLONINV.EXE file, unless the filename is renamed
or executed from a subdirectory that is not in your path. If you
decide to rename the file, the game will always ask you for your
hardware setup and the high score will not be saved.
If you need to change your hardware setup, press the S key when the
first screen is displayed. If you have a mouse, press the M key to
select the sensitivity for the mouse.
Mouse users should make sure the mouse driver is installed. Either
mouse button will act as the fire key. During the demo, the left
mouse button will select a one player game and the right mouse
button will select a two player game. The mouse is also supported
during the hardware setup menu and mouse sensitivity menu.
Clone Invader Page: 2
Joystick users must center their joystick before pressing the J key
on the first screen.
The background color can be changed by using the B key which is only
active during the demo screen. The background color option is not
available for VGA adapters.
To clear the high score, press the H key when the first screen is
displayed.
If the game should lock up try removing any ram resident programs.
The keyboard driver in Clone Invader disables the normal keyboard
interrupt. I have found that Sidekick and Superkey can occasionally
cause problems.
If you find that moving your mouse quickly from one side to the
other slows down the invader movement, try selecting a slower
sensitivity for the mouse.
For those of you that would like to "tune" Clone Invader, there is a
configuration file option that can be used. The name of the file
must be called CLONINV.CFG, and it must be located in the same
directory as the CLONINV.EXE file. The following options can be
changed:
Variable Description Default Range F/S
-------- ----------- ------------- ---
1 Overall speed of game. 1-3000 S
2 Base movement stepping rate. 1-4 F
3 Laser stepping rate (From you). 1-3 F
4 Laser stepping rate (From invaders). 2-4 F
5 Invaders stepping rate. 1-4 F
6 Mystery invader stepping rate. 1-3 S
7 Joystick sensitivity 1-2 F
Placing one or more of the above variables in the configuration file
will override the default value. All numbers must be greater than
zero. There is no range checking when reading the config file, so
it is possible to select values that will bomb the game. The file
format is as follows: VARIABLE,VALUE
Clone Invader Page: 3
Where VARIABLE is from the above list (1-6), and VALUE is the number
you select to override the current setting. Approximate values are
given under the range column. The F/S column indicates if the
variable slows down movement or increases movement. "F" means that
the larger the variable, the faster the movement. "S" means that
the larger the variable, the slower the movement. Let's say we
wished to change the overall speed and invader stepping rate. Our
configuration file would look like this:
1,50
5,2
If you have a joystick, and use it during play, the sound effects
will automatically be shut off. There is a weird bug in Quick BASIC
that returns strange values with the STICK command if sound is being
played in the background. If anyone knows of a workaround for this
bug please let me know.
I would like to thank Ben Broder, who wrote the keyboard driver for
Clone Invader, and who helped out in debugging and enhancing the
game.
If you have any problems, questions, or suggestions for enhancements
please write to me. Please be sure to indicate what version of
Clone Invader you have, and your computer setup - graphics adapter
(CGA, EGA, VGA), microprocessor (8088, 8086, 80286, 80386), and
mouse being used.
Gary Quiring
37 Essie Drive
Matawan, NJ 07747
Clone Invader Page: 4
HISTORY:
4.4 - Added joystick support. Joystick will only work if the sound
is shut off (Sorry). Enhanced explosion graphics.
4.3 - Fixed bug with scores exceeding 32760. Fixed mouse menu to
correctly adjust sensitivity. Added configuration file.
Also improved speed of game which will make game much more
enjoyable on 8088 systems.
4.2 - Better mouse control. Also, setup for mouse will
automatically appear for first time installation. Added
feature to clear high score.
4.1 - Added mouse sensitivity menu.
4.0 - Changed some colors for VGA. Changed opening screen. Added
mouse support to setup menu. Added search in path for
filename.
3.9 - Added VGA support for 256 colors. Added option for speed
adjustment.
3.8 - Added mouse support.
3.7 - Added hardware configuration menu, deleted environment switch
code, fixed some bugs, and recompiled with Quick Basic 4.5
3.6 - Adjusted code for 386 computers and added environment
switches.
3.5 - Added feature to save high score in exe file and changed base
color for the EGA mode.