MacChase Version 2.00 is patterned after the arcade game, PacMan. It includes such features as a top-twenty high-score list, a level-by-level evaluation of play, the ability to practice certain levels, and the ability to create new MacChase games.
MacChase has been tested on, and works on, a Mac 512K running System 4.1, a Mac SE running System 6.0.3, and a Mac SE/30 running System 6.0.5, and a Macintosh IIcx running System 6.0.7. It is not known whether MacChase runs on other Macs, or with other system versions.
It should be noted that the game is MUCH faster on a Mac SE/30 and II. Also, due to the nature of the newer Mac beeps, the beeps should probably be turned off (see Game menu).
MacChase was written in THINK C 4.0 by Kevin L. Gong.
My thanks to CD Fun House for rating MacChase version 1.75 two stars (OK), and calling it "a bit weak." Seriously, though, I am glad to see it circulating.
However, there are only a handful of registered users. I hope this improved version will see more users, and more registered users. To that end, I have made MacChase a free program. You may distribute it freely to friends, so long as you include the copyright notice. However, if you use the program and would like improvements, please register as a MacChase user. It costs nothing to register. So it's FREE.
Use the order form at the end of this document to register (send no money if you're just registering). Or, simply send a postcard with your name, address, Macintosh type and system configuration to:
Kevin L. Gong
MacChase 2.00 Registration
1302 Navellier St.
El Cerrito, CA 94530-2449
Please take the short time to send in the registration form or at least a postcard. The programmer would truly like to know that the program is being used. And the only way to know that is if users let him know.
Becoming a registered user will enable you to send for any of the things listed in the Ordering section. You'll also get my personal thanks!
Also, if you are feeling generous, please send a check for $10 (payable to Kevin Gong) along with your registration sheet. If you do so, you will become a paid registered user, and will enjoy added benefits. Paid registered users will receive notices of any future software I create for the Macintosh, and free MacChase updates.
1.3 Credits
MacChase was written in THINK C 4.0.
THINK C 4.0 (1989), Symantec Corporation, 10201 Torre Avenue,
Cupertino, CA 95014, (408) 253-9600
Sounds were recorded using the MacRecorder system.
The following two books were instrumental in the writing of MacChase:
Using the Macintosh TOOLBOX with C, by Jim Takatsuka, Fred Huxham, and David Burnard published by SYBEX Inc., and
C Primer Plus, by Mitchell Waite, Stephen Prata, and Donald Martin published by Howard W. Sams & Co., Inc. (this is a great book to learn C from)
Thanx to Jonathan Tanemori for suggesting allowing different movement keys (he didn't like "ikjl").
Thanx also to Bob Nordling, Brian Foster, and all the great people who registered for previous versions of MacChase: Eric Maldague, William Arveson, and Stan Yunker.
2 ORDERING
Orders should be sent using the order form at the end of this document. Please include your name and address. Make checks payable to Kevin L. Gong. Orders should be sent to the following address:
Kevin L. Gong
1302 Navellier St.
El Cerrito, CA 94530-2449
2.1 Registration $0.00 (free!)
Entitles you to send for documentation, updates, and source code.
2.2 Paid Registration $10.00 donation
Free notification, by mail, of all future upgrades to MacChase, and other Macintosh software I write. Also, you will receive automatic free upgrades mailed to you.
Note, only registered users (paid or unpaid) can send for the following 3 items.
2.3 Documentation (hard-copy) $5.00
In other words, the thing that you're reading right now. This is basically free, but if you want a hard-copy and don't feeling like wasting your nice paper, ribbon, and wear and tear on your Imagewriter, I'll send you a hard-copy. Please be sure to include a stamped (25 cents (or whatever it is by now), I'll add the rest) 8.5x11 (or a little larger) envelope.
2.4 Updates (single-sided disk) $5.00
These, again, are basically free. However, if you don't have access to updates from a bulletin board service, you can send me for a disk. Just send me a check and your mailing address, and I'll send you the next version as soon as it is finished.
2.5 THINK C source code (hard-copy) $15.00
For you programmers out there just starting out, I know how it feels. I was there -- it's hard to just start out programming. At least, I hope you're having trouble, 'cause I certainly did. Crashes lurked around every corner. Well, source code certainly would have helped. So I'm making it available to C programmers for a small fee (part of that covers the cost of copying the source code, and most of the rest covers shipping).
3 DISTRIBUTION NOTICE
Please distribute this to all of your Mac friends. And, if there is one near you, send it off onto a BBS.
This program was first uploaded onto
BMUG BBS
(415) 849-BMUG (849-2684)
300-1200-2400 Baud
Usage of BMUG BBS is free, but with limited usage for non-BMUG members.
4 VERSION INFO
4.1 List of releases
A list of all releases of MacChase:
Version Date Completed Release Date
2.00 3 February 1991 3 February 1991
1.75 18 August 1988 18 August 1988
1.45+ 18 August 1987 18 August 1987
1.45 16 August 1987 18 August 1987
1.37 1 August 1987 2 August 1987
1.36 19 August 1986 25 July 1987
4.2 Changes since last version
• revised and updated documentation
• now written in THINK C 4.0 (before, was written in Megamax C)
• does not crash when MC_Original not in same folder (gives friendly error message instead)
• added some new sounds
• Can only open MacChase files (before, could open any TEXT files)
• Only 1 file for storing games, rather than 3
• Allow different keys for movement
• Movement keys are really keys, rather than menus; in a related change, command key must be pressed for menu shortcuts
• Menus don't flash when updated
• Screen updated when necessary
• More Macintosh-standard dialog boxes
• Power dot lasts a uniform amount of time. Before, the faster the speed, the longer it lasted. No more.
• things users won't visibly notice - lots of changes in source code for manageability (updates may be easier to make)
4.3 Future updates
• usage of even more standard Macintosh dialog boxes
• faster, smoother graphics
• more neat sounds
• other goodies; some possibilities:
a two-player version!
selective eating -- only eat the power dots when you want to
(not just when you pass over it)
things you eat to speed you up or slow you down
larger, scrolling levels
All this and more if you register!
4.4 Suggestions/Bug reports
If you have any changes you would like to see in MacChase, please send me a letter (or leave me a message on BMUG BBS if it is convenient). Suggestions and comments are always welcome.
If you have any trouble with MacChase, please notify me immediately. I'm not sure what systems it will work with. Look in the Help menu, under Requirements, to find more about system configurations. Send any bug reports, on either system usage, or general bugs in the program, to the same address as for ordering.
5 NORMAL PLAY
If you simply want to play MacChase, without bothering with any of the niceties of the program, execute the following:
• Enter the MacChase disk (complete with MacChase & MC_Original)
• Run MacChase
• Read the copyright notice and click in the button.
• Select Start Game from the Game menu.
• Begin playing. The controls are i for up, j for left, k for down, and l for right. Eat all the dots on a level to reach the next level. The monsters will eat you unless they are shown with dots in their centers, which will happen when you eat a solid black "power" dot.
APPLE MENU
6.1 About MacChase
Shows the same notices you see at the beginning of the program. This includes some introductory garbage, and some information on registering (please do) and ordering.
6.2 About The Author
Shows some information about the author (who else?).
6.3 (desk accessories)
The program works with most desk accessories, as far as I know Please let me know if you have a desk accessory that does not work with MacChase. I'd want to try to fix that. If I can't, it would still be nice to let users know what doesn't work.
7 MAKING YOUR OWN MacChase GAME
Everything you need to use to make your own game is in the File and Editor menus.
7.1 Getting started making your own game
First select Close Game to close the original game, then select New Game to create your own, new game. A game is a simple TEXT document containing information about the levels (walls, monsters, power dots, etc.) and a high scores list. Selecting this item will cause the program to prompt you for the name of this file. After entering the file name you want and clicking "Save," you are in the editing mode. Or, press Cancel if that suits you. Try to remember that.
7.2 The editing mode
Once you're in the editing mode, there should be 8 buttons on the right side of the window. The level itself is surrounded by a black square outline. To put something on the level, select the appropriate button, and click in the bordered area to place that object on the level.
The buttons:
Start position
the starting position of the player, you! This will appear as a solid black square on the level.
Reappear position
the place where monsters reappear after you kill them. This will appear as a cross.
Monster
place where a monster starts. You can place up to 5 monsters on any one level. They will appear as outlined squares (one-pixel width lines).
Power dot
you can place up to 5 power dots on any one level. When a player eats a power dot, he can kill the monsters. Power dots are solid black circles.
Block square
make an entire square inaccessible to both monsters and the player. These will appear as heavily outlined squares filled gray.
Horizontal line
make horizontal movement between two squares impossible. A line (thick) will appear above the mouse position.
Vertical line
make vertical movement between two squares impossible. A line (thick) will appear to the left of the mouse position.
Clear
erase an object (when you make mistakes)
When you try to place an object on a square that is already occupied by a similar object, then that object will disappear. This has the same effect as Clear, but it's more convenient. In other cases, where the square is occupied by a different object, or no object at all, the appropriate object will be placed in the square. The only exception is that the reappear zone may be placed in the same square as a power dot, a monster, or the player.
7.3 Saving levels
While still in the edit mode, select Save Level.
7.4 Next Level
When you've finished and have saved the level, you may proceed to the next level simply by selecting Next Level. You will remain in the edit mode, and you will be given a clear screen to work with.
7.5 Exiting the editing mode
When you've saved everything, you can leave the editing mode by selecting Editor Off. If you have not recently saved the level you have been working on, the program will ask you for confirmation.
7.6 Changing your game
7.6.1 Open Game...
edit an existing game. Selecting this item will cause the program to prompt you for an existing file name. MacChase will then try to open the file as a MacChase level. The program will load the game info, after which you may either play the game or turn on the editor by selecting Editor On.
7.6.2 Moving to other levels
You can move back and forth between levels by selecting Next Level and Previous Level.
7.6.3 Revert
If you edit a level and then decide that it was better the way it was, you can revert to the last saved version of the level by selecting Revert.
7.7 Playing your games
When you've finished making a game, you can play it by selecting Start Game. The game will play exactly like the original list, whose name is MC_Original, which you can get back to playing by selecting Open Game and selecting that file, and then selecting Start Game.
8 GAME MENU
From the Game menu, the following items can be selected:
8.1 Start Game
start playing the current list
8.2 Start at level...
start playing from a certain level (enter the number of the level). Using this feature deprives a score from entering the top twenty.
8.3 Skip Level
skip to the next level. Using this feature deprives a score from entering the top twenty.
8.4 High Scores
lists the top twenty of the current list
8.5 Clear Scores
clear the top twenty of the current list. It will ask you for confirmation before erasing previous scores.
8.6 Abort Game
stops the game (not the program)
8.7 Pause
pauses the game. press any key to continue
8.8 Score by Level
when this is checked, a list of your scores and number of men left after each level will be given when you complete the game
8.9 Sound
when this is checked, sound will accompany the game. If it is not checked, no sound will occur.
8.10 Beep Sound
when this is checked, a beep will occur each time the player eats a dot. If it is not checked, no beeps will occur.
9 MOVEMENT
Pressing j moves you (the black square) left; k is down; l is right; and i is up. When moving, remember this: pretend you're driving a car. When you want to turn, say, left, turn your blinker on halfway down the block. In the game, that would mean pressing j before you reach the spot where you want to turn. That goes for all directions.
For the picky game player, MacChase provides several movement configurations. The user can select any of the several selections under the movement menu, and those keys will be the movement keys (the first is the default, ikjl). They are listed in order: up, down, left, right.
In addition, you can always use the arrow keys.
10 OBJECT OF THE GAME
Eat all the dots on a level to reach the next level. Avoid getting eaten by the monsters (white squares). The only time they can't eat you is when they have a dot in their center. This happens when you eat a power dot (solid black dot). When the dot in the monsters' centers become outline instead of solid black, that means the dot is wearing off. When it wears off, all the monsters you killed reappear.
11 SCORING
1 point Each framed dot
5 points Each power dot (when you eat a power dot, you can eat monsters)
10 points Eating 1st monster
15 points Eating 2nd monster
25 points Eating 3rd monster
40 points Eating 4th monster
60 points Eating 5th monster
bonus you receive an extra man every 1000 points
12 SPEED
You can select any speed from SuperSlow to SuperFast. You cannot change the speed during play. I usually play Fast or SuperFast.
ORDER FORM Mail order form to: Kevin L. Gong
MacChase Registration
1302 Navellier St.
El Cerrito, CA 94530-2449
From:
Name____________________________________________
Address__________________________________________
City, State, ZIP____________________________________
Quantity Item Description Price
1 Registration fee $0.00 (free!)
_______ Donation (paid registration) $10.00
_______ Documentation $5.00
_______ Updates $5.00
_______ C source code $15.00
Grand total _______
Please circle the appropriate information about the Macintosh you run MacChase on:
Macintosh: 512KE Plus SE II Other______________
System: 6.03 Other__________
Other hardware (hard disks, accelerators, etc.): __________________
Make checks payable to: Kevin Gong
Please allow 1-2 weeks for shipping. (if you don't get your order 3 weeks after you send it, send me a nasty letter)
If you're just registering, I'll send confirmation and my personal thanx.
