500 Game Surplus/XSurplus.iso/43/README.TXT

Text File | 1997-02-13 | 17KB | 350 lines

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º  Get Piste! (v1.997) by Tim Furnish, 1996-1997    (c) Hungry Software  º
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  This is the README.TXT file for the FREE CARDWARE 10 LEVEL DEMO of Get
  Piste! by Tim Furnish. If you wish to distribute the 10 level demo you
  must include all the files that are in the original ZIP file. The demo
  can also be downloaded from "http://www.uea.ac.uk/~u9530096/getpiste/"
  and hopefully other places, once it starts spreading. I make no claims
  about how well the program works, what it does, what it'll look and/or
  sound like, and how fast it'll run on your machine. It has been tested
  for viruses every step of the way, but after it's left my hands, I can
  not accept responsibility if this program goes bezerk and eats you. If
  you find a problem in the game or wish to tell me how great I am, then
  various types of address can be found in section 5. Thankyou.

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1 - Stuff in this document:

             1 ........... Stuff in this document (no, never)
             2 .................. Getting the program started
             3 ..................... What the hell to do next
             4 ..... Letting it know your sound card settings
             5 ....... The 10 level demo Vs. the full version
             6 ............................. The story so far
             7 ................... Hints and tips and gubbins

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2 - Getting the program started:

This isn't too tricky, or at least it shouldn't be. But there are a couple
of things to watch out for.

First, you unzip the file with everything in. Either use something over
the top but wonderful like WinZip, or type "PKUNZIP -d GPDEMO.ZIP" at the
DOS prompt.

The -d option means that all the files end up in the right directories,
rather than clogging up one place with all the graphics and sound
effects... but in case you didn't do this, there is a way to sort the
nastiness out without unzipping the thing again. Run the DIRFIX batch
file, and it will create the right directories for you, and what's more,
put all the files in the right places.

Type PISTE to run the program. If things go haywire, the error messages
are a little cocky but fairly descriptive (with a few exceptions), so I
won't do a 3 page troubleshooting guide here. If files go missing, then
check what you've got lying around, it should be something like this:

  PISTE.EXE      - The program itself, all snow covered and sparkling

  README.TXT      - That would be this file here
  SETUP.EXE       - Get the program to notice your sound card
  DIRFIX.BAT      - Creates and fills the following directories, if
                    they're not there already

  GP-SOUND (dir)  - Sound effects and music files
  GP-GFX (dir)    - The main screens, and all the itty bitty pictures

  GP-DEMO.001     - A data file with stuff in it
  GP-DEMO.002     - Another data file, with another lot of stuff in it
  GP-DEMO.003     - Have a guess
  GP-DEMO.004     - This is the last one, people... at the moment

There may also be one or more of these:

  GPDEMO.ZIP      - Still got this lying around, have you?
  FILE_ID.DIZ     - Everyone else has got one
  BRUN45.EXE      - Run-time program that PISTE.EXE might look for
  SETUP.DAT       - Sound card settings, if any

If you have anything extra or something's not there, then you've been
tinkering. Stop it. And unpack everything again. And start in an empty
directory, just in case (although this should make no difference, it just
makes sure that you know what files belong to which program... for a nice
example of how confusing things can get, just look in your trusty Windows
directory some time).

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3 - What the hell to do next:

On the main screen, press a mouse button or key on the keyboard. This will
take you to the main menu. The top two options let you play the game...
either from the first level or from anywhere else (providing you know the
password - passwords are given out at the end of each level you complete).

As each level loads, you will be shown a map and an arrow will point out
where the current level will be. The different areas are, as far as the
demo is concerned, the mountains (holly and snowmen abound), the forest
(grassy slopes and the occasional wooden bridge), the city (lots of big
bricks and pipes and stuff) and outer space (um... black things, and grey
things, and miscellaneous outer space stuff).

To move Graham (the skiing bloke), position the mouse either to the left
or to the right of him and hold down the right mouse button. He'll either
move left or right. You'll get the hang of it. In fact, this is all you
have to do in the first level. On the subsequent levels you'll have to
drop objects which change the way the level looks in order for Graham to
get from where he starts to where the spinning jewels are.

To drop an object, press the left mouse button. The red square on the
bottom panel shows what object you'll drop next. The long blue area on the
right shows all of the objects which you'll be able to use in order to
complete the particular level. If there's only one object shown here, each
time you press the left mouse button you'll drop one of these.

Underneath this blue box, stretching in from the right hand side of the
screen, is a row of stationary jewels. This is the number of jewels which
you'll need to collect to complete the level. When you collect one, one of
the jewels in this row is marked off as having been collected.

Some "Things Which You Can Drop" (c) are simply solid objects which sit
wherever they land and become part of the level. Others blow up, stretch
out and form bridges in various directions, and generally muck up the
screen in other ways. All of them are useful at some stage or other during
the game.

If the time runs out for a level, or if you quit (by pressing Q), you lose
a life. If you collect the required number of jewels, you go on to the
next level. The score you receive for grabbing a jewel depends on how many
you've got already on the same level, and how long it took from the last
jewel you collected. You also get a time bonus at the end of each level
(10 points for each remaining second, if I remember).

Complete the 10 levels and you've beaten the demo. If you want to see the
a selection of levels from later in the game, leave the title screen (not
the main menu) showing for about 30 seconds.

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4 - Letting it know your sound card settings:

Run the SETUP.EXE program. Everything is explained. You can't have one
sound card controlling the midi music and another the sound effects, and
only 100% SoundBlaster and compatible cards are supported.

If memory is low, or if you're running from Windows and find that using
the sound card screws things up, you can run the program with no music or
sound effects WITHOUT changing the sound card settings. Instead of just
running "PISTE", run "PISTE -NOSOUND" and the SETUP.DAT file will be
ignored.

I have no idea why sound effects mess up Windows. Incidentally, it seems
that Windows 95 can cope. I don't know who to blame. So I think I'll just
blame you.

Incidentally, I should be rethinking how the music is saved... take a look
at any of the .NEW files in the GP-SOUND directory and laugh at how it's
all stored at the moment. Then take a second or so to think about the fact
that I actually WROTE it all like that. No fancy editors for me. Oh, dear
me no. No drum noises either, I can't get them to work. Which is a shame.
Anyone got a suggestion?

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5 - The demo version Vs. the full version:

The main difference between the two versions of the game (the demo and the
full one) is the number of levels. This, of course means that there are
more "Things Which You Can Drop" (c) in the full game, as new ones of
these appear throughout. Some to look out for are the balloons, tins of
paint and flying saucers. Plus, more graphics, more sound effects, and
rumours of a high score table.

The other major difference is that the full version of the game is not
what's known as CARDWARE. The demo is. You get 10 levels from the game,
see if you like it, play it in your free time when the mood takes you, and
don't pay me a thing. You just send me a postcard. The address is shown at
the end of the game, as are my homepage and email addresses (for all those
people with computers, internet connections, and not enough money for a
stamp).

In case this file is all you've got, they're here, too.

            CARDS:        T. Furnish, Nelson Court, UEA,
                          Norwich, Norfolk, NR4 7TJ, ENGLAND

            HOMEPAGE:     http://www.uea.ac.uk/~u9530096/

            EMAIL:        [e-mail]

I look forward to hearing what you've got to say about my humble little
game, and the chap on planks and spinny gem things therein.

Basically, DISTRIBUTE THE DEMO. Hand it out selotaped to your business
cards. Give it to people for Christmas. DO NOT DISTRIBUTE THE FULL VERSION
because it is booby trapped and, as soon as one copy is used on more than
one computer within the space of 5 years, both machines and all property
within a 3 mile radius of each will be destroyed. It's true.

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6 - The story so far:

It is winter. Somewhere in the Alps, Graham Normal is learning how to ski.
Graham never wanted to ski, and as he falls over for the twentieth time in
as many minutes, he recalls the reason why he is here.

Graham's managers in the office at which he worked thought that it would be
wise to send all of their employees off for a week long team building
exercise. Something energetic, something physical, something outdoors.
After a week or so of sitting round being pleased with themselves, the
managers realised that in order to send everyone off on the budget skiing
break that they had their minds set on, the office was going to have to
close down for the week. Not wanting this to happen, the managers had a
rethink, and finally decided only to send all the employees without which
the company would still survive. They set about deciding who should and
shouldn't go.

A fortnight later, Graham had arrived at the resort alone.

Graham picks himself up, and sees a small, cloaked figure in front of him.
No footsteps lead up to where it stands, and no face can be seen in the
darkness underneath the strange material. In fact, as far as Graham can
tell, it's possibly just a small, very well starched cloak that someone
accidentally dropped on their way up the ski lift.

"It is you," says the cloak.

"Piss off," replies Graham, "I'm trying to learn to ski. I'm not having
much luck. The last thing I need is old musty clothes appearing from
nowhere and telling me that I'm me."

"But you are," agrees the cloak. "You are the one."

"I bet you ten quid that the next thing you say will contain the word
destiny", predicts Graham.

The cloak pauses, rethinking what it should say. "You have been chosen," it
decides.

"Ok, bet's off, you stopped before you said that. Plus, if I have been...
chosen, then whatever I've been chosen for IS my destiny." Graham pauses.
"Plus, I haven't got a tenner on me at the moment."

"Do you like money, Mr. Normal?" asks the cloak.

"What do you know about money? You're not exactly made of real fir, are
you? You look more like a stumpy flashing mac. You should have a homeless
person curled up asleep in you."

The cloak chuckles.

"Yes, a bit of money would be nice from time to time," agrees Graham
eventually, after realising that unless he gives an actual answer the cloak
would probably be stood there all day. "Of course it would. What kind of a
bloody stupid question is that? You appear here, tell me that I'm me, and
ask whether I like money... are you just being cocky or are you actually
downright dense?"

"Neither, neither, I was just thinking. Jewels and gems the likes of which
have never been seen before by human eyes - how much do you think you'd get
for one of them?"

"A couple of grand?" suggests Graham, wondering where this is heading.

"It's just that..." the cloak goes silent, leans forward, and attempts to
whisper into Graham's ear. Without jumping up and down it succeeds in
whispering into his ribs. Graham crouches down to hear. "It's just that
I know where you can pick up a couple. Just lying around. All yours."

"All mine?" comes the reply.

"Well... more mine, really. But you get hold of them all and there's a
reward."

"I get to keep half of them."

"I was thinking more around... one..."

"I get to keep half of them," repeats Graham.

The cloak sighs. "Ten. You can have Ten. That's my final offer."

Graham weighed up the situation. Ten jewels and gems the likes of which
have never been seen before by human eyes would be worth a bit. And
besides, how many of them could there be?

"Count me in."

"I did. Three thousand, five hundred years ago. I knew you'd be here. I
remember jotting all the details down on a Post-It scroll."

"You are being cocky now, aren't you?"

"Yeah. Sorry." admits the cloak, before vanishing.

"So where do I deliver all these things to after I've... bugger," says
Graham, first to the cloak and then to nobody in particular. He realises
he's still crouching down, tries to stand up again, and falls once more
flat on his face. He yells something into the snow, rolls over onto his
back, and looks up at where the sky should be. But it's gone. Someone's
nicked the sky, replacing it with the roof of a cavern which appears to be
made entirely of holly. Snow covers the floor, which is a bit odd, Graham
reflects, considering there's no way in. Perhaps more worrying is the fact
that there's no way out. Standing up and looking once more around the room
from the proper perspective doesn't help matters. Graham hopes he's doing
the right thing in standing around and waiting for a jewel or two to turn
up. A second later, he realises that he is.

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7 - Hints and tips and gubbins:

There are cheats. You type them in on the main menu. When you type one the
first time, it turns something on; a second time, and it'll turn off. When
a cheat turns on, it's on until you quit or turn it off again (by typing
the same thing in again). Each time a cheat is turned on, the screen will
flash and you will hear a car horn. When one's turned off again, the
screen again flashes, and there is a ribbit noise.

One cheat gives you infinite time on all the levels. Another lets you end
a level by pressing space. One lets you position Graham (the skiing guy)
wherever you want on the screen. A further one turns the password screen
into a handy level selection screen... just enter the number of the level
you want to play.

Of course, there's no way I'm going to tell you what the cheats are...
that would be too easy.

Other more useful information, then? On most, if not all, of the levels
there is an area where you'll never need to go or even get through. Any of
the "Things Which You Can Drop" (c) that you don't want or need can be
dumped wherever this is, so they don't get in your way later in the level.

Nothing can injure Graham... except running out of time and some evil sod
pressing the Q button on their keyboard. Those things aside, nothing in
the game... bombs, pneumatic drills, or even big black weights and pine
trees falling from great heights... can harm him at all. That being said,
if you build (or pour?) things directly behind him and he's not careful,
he can and will get stuck.

If you find the bloke can't get past a chunk of something, or out of a dip
or up a slope, or under a sticking out bit of scenery, it's sometimes well
worth pressing the right mouse button a number of times quickly, rather
than holding it down. It's not foolproof, but it makes the program tackle
the area at a slightly different speed and sometimes that means he won't
bounce back off things and turn round.

Finally, don't do anything to the red wires. They may come in handy. I
shall say no more.

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                                              - Tim Furnish, February 1997