==== Ants Afire!™ Pro Demo version 1.2.7 Release Notes =====
Thank you for taking the time to acquire this demonstration version of Ants Afire!™ Pro. Your support will allow us to develop other quality software products. Please read the following notes to help you fully enjoy the game and make use of some of the new features.
What You Need:
• System 7.0 or higher, 5Mb free RAM, 8-bit (256 colors) color monitor 13" or larger.
• 040 Mac or faster with System 7.1 or higher recommended.
• This demo is a fat, Power Macintosh compatible version. While it runs great on standard Macs, it'll run even faster on a Power Mac.
• This demo is limited to the first 5 levels, its preferences are disabled, and does not support scene files, but you will get a good idea for what the game is like with those features. At the end of each game you will see a preview of the scene files. A modest price of $15 will buy the complete version including those really cool scene files...that can be swapped for your own if you like, prefs and higher levels. The scene files took many hours to create using 3D rendering techniques. See the help screen for information on ordering the unlimited version.
NOTE: Running Ants Afire!™ Pro while other applications are running in the background will result in poor game performance. Additionally, some fax/modem extensions will periodically, momentarily "hang" your system (this occurs no matter what application you're running...not just Ants Afire!™ Pro). If you have this problem, it would be a good idea to use an extension manager to turn off these extensions before playing the game.
IMPORTANT: So that we may provide complete trouble-shooting information to our users, contact us immediately if you have a problem with our game or its performance. Please let us know if you've found any system extensions or control panels that are incompatible with Ants Afire!™ Pro.
==== Installation:
"Ants Pro Demo.sea" contains this file, the application "Ants Afire! Pro™ Demo 1.2.7", Ant Prefs and High Scores files. Keep these files together in the same folder. The scene files are not shipped with the demo version.
==== How To Play:
Press any key to let loose a bunch of ants. Keep the ants from getting your sucker (the stick, too) by burning them with the magnifying glass. Click your mouse button while targeting ants with the cursor. If you're successful, the ant will burst into flames. Sick, we know, but this is far more humane than burning real ants. You can use the bottle caps to defend your sucker. Ants are attracted to them as a form of cover. Just drag them around the screen to corral the ants.
==== Scoring:
Each ant is worth 500 points. Don't let your sucker get licked by an ant. Licks are displayed with red, ant-shaped indicator lights above your score. If your sucker gets licked 5 times the game is over. There is one consolation...when an ant licks your sucker it dies of a sugar overdose. Each level has faster, more voracious ants. At the end of each level, you are awarded a time bonus of 5 points for every second under the time limit. The time limit for level 1 is 15 seconds and increases by 5 seconds with each new level. The game doesn’t stop when you reach the time limit, you just won't get any bonus points if you exceed it.
==== Things To Remember:
(some features are disabled in the demo version.)
There is new scenery at every fifth level up to level 25...also, one lick will be subtracted at each new scene...you'll hear an "Oh yeah!" when a lick is subtracted. When the scenery changes, so will the game objects. For instance, at level 5 the sucker turns into a tortilla chip, the bottle caps turn into nut shells and the backdrop becomes a picnic table.
Be on the lookout for flies and bees, they're worth big points.
Before you press a key, drag your bottle caps into strategic locations. Ants are deposited on the field at random and are attracted to both the sucker and bottle caps.
Ants will gather gumption and occasionally make a run for your sucker...ant courage increases with each new level.
When an ant is hiding under a bottle cap, it is impervious to the rays of your magnifying glass but, it will usually stay put...at lower levels.
Move the bottle caps quickly to uncover the vermin hiding beneath.
==== Scene Files =====
(not available in the demo version)
You can substitute your own scenes by naming your PICT files exactly the same as the included files and replacing them in the "Scene Files" folder. Make sure you save the original files in another folder before replacing them.
All PICT files should be 8-bit color. Photoshop users should convert the PICT from RGB to Indexed Color to save disk space and keep the game speedy. Use 8-bit System Palette with diffusion dither.
"Terrain" files should be 640w x 480h pixels in size. All others can be any size you want. Keep in mind that you'll be dragging the "cover" files around the screen, so they shouldn't be too big.
Just for fun, try using a snapshot of your desktop as a "Terrain" pict (go to the Finder and press command-shift-3. This will take a snapshot of your desktop and save it as a pict).
Look for new scene files coming soon on AOL. Why not upload your own scenes for others to enjoy?
==== Preferences ===== (save disabled in the demo version)
Make sure you check out the game preferences screen. You can make several adjustments to gameplay:
1) No. of Ants - Move this slider to change the number of ants you must kill to advance to the next level.
2) Ant Speed - Move this slider to increase or decrease the overall speed of the ants...and other bugs too.
3) Ant Bravery - Move this slider to increase or decrease the bravery of your ants. The more brave they are, the more they will make a run for the sucker.
4) Bee Delay - Move this slider to increase or decrease the odds that a random bee will fly into the scene.
5) Fly Delay - Move this slider to increase or decrease the odds that a random fly will fly into the scene.
6) Volume - Move this slider to increase or decrease the sound volume level. Displayed as percentage. 0%=Off.
Make your changes by sliding the arrows to the left or right. To save your changes, click on the "Save" button. To reset the sliders to the default values, click on the "Reset" button then click "Save". Changes to the settings will not take effect unless you click the "Save" button.
Keep the "Ant Prefs" file in the same folder as "Ants Afire! Pro™"...so it can find it. If you lose or misplace it, a new one will be created automatically.
==== The High Scores File ====
Ants Afire!™ Pro comes with a high scores file that you can edit in any text editor.
If you are updating from a previous version of Ants Afire!™ Pro you can keep your old high scores file. Just replace the new file with your old file.
The format of the high scores file is as follows:
(no spaces, returns or characters of any kind before first entry)
Name<return> (Any character may appear in Name)
Score<return> (Must be an integer)
Name<return>
Score<return>
Name<return>
Score<return>
(etc. until you have exactly 10 name/score pairs. If this was the tenth entry, don't forget to give the last score a return, just like all the others.)
Keep the high scores file in the same folder as "Ants Afire!™" Pro...so it can find it. If you lose or misplace the high scores file, a new one will be created automatically.
==== Tech Support =====
If you experience problems, before contacting us...first try running it with all extensions off. To do this, restart your Mac and hold down the shift key until you see the message "Extensions off." If the game runs fine after that, you have an extension or control panel that is incompatible, or the loading order is causing a problem. You'll have to remove each of your extensions (or possibly a control panel) one by one, restarting each time until you find the culprit. This has cured 100% of the problems encountered so far. Chances are, you are having problems with other software, too. We recommend using an init manager such as Now Startup Manager or Extensions Manager as a necessary utility for the Mac user who wants to have real control over his/her System Folder.
IMPORTANT: Please let us know when you find an incompatible extension so we can tell other users to beware.
River Rock Sight & Sound is available via E-mail at the addresses below. We will answer your questions promptly and courteously.
AOL: River Rock
eWorld: River Rock
internet: river_rock@interramp.com
==== Legal Stuff and Other Information:
This is just a game. No lives are in danger and no great sums of money hang in the balance. Don't use this thing to control air traffic or to make any career decisions. WE ARE NOT RESPONSIBLE FOR THINGS THAT YOU DO. DON'T SET FIRE TO SOMETHING AND BLAME US.
