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- ΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉ 1. How to play ΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉ
-
- How to play Blox
-
-
- In Blox, your goal is to help me with my new job. I'm working as a stockroom
- worker and my boss wants me to get rid of a number of boxes we have in our
- stockroom. I've found out that if I put two identical boxes side-by-side, they
- explode and disappear. And since my boss didn't tell me how to get rid of them,
- I guess it's OK to use the explosion technique! The various boxes that you
- shall help me with are the ones I'm showing you here above.
-
- If you think this sounds too easy, just think a little further... When you
- shove the boxes, they all slide over the stockroom floor and don't stop until
- they hit something, may it be a wall or one of the other boxes. So, the fact
- that you can't shove a single box a small distance complicates your work a lot.
- And what happens if you have, for example, three wooden boxes and you manage to
- shove two of them to stand side-by-side? Right, they both explode and leave the
- third one alone. And since you don't have any more wooden boxes, you can't get
- rid of it, right? So all you can do is to press Alt-Backspace to undo some
- moves, or Ctrl-R to restart the whole level...
- Well, maybe not necessarily. One of the boxes you should get rid of is the bomb
- box (as I'm showing you here above). When placed side-by-side with any other
- box, they both explode and disappear. So, if you can find a bomb box and shove
- it to the last wooden box, you've managed that level too. However, make sure
- you don't get stucked with a single bomb box...
-
- Our stockroom floor contains two special tiles that you should know about. The
- dynamite tile (the left one here above) will explode any box that stops on it.
- Note that it's only boxes that stop on it that explodes, not boxes that slide
- over it. To the right I'm showing you the glue tile. When you shove a box over
- this one, the box stops immediately, even if it's not hitting a wall or another
- box. Then your only chance to get rid of it is to place another identical box
- besides it, or explode it with a bomb box.
-
- Well, I don't think there's anything else I have to tell you right now. In Blox
- there's no scoring, so you don't have to know anything about that. It's a
- perfect game for you poor losers, you can't lose, just fail.. OK, I wish you
- good luck. Now go and do your best!
-
- If you want some more information, select one of the following related topics:
-
- o Tips & tricks - See some neat stuff.
- o Keys help - To learn which keys to use.
-
-
- ΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉ 2. Tips & tricks ΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉ
-
- Tips & tricks
-
- o If you want to quickly restart the current level, just double-click on the
- playing field.
-
- o Don't feel ashamed to use the Undo feature - other players do.... And it's
- usually easier to complete a level by undoing a few moves, than to restart it
- completely from the beginning.
-
- o If you haven't played Blox so much, it's probably best to use animation or
- steps as animation method, so that you visually can learn how the boxes are
- moved. When you've learned that, and are becoming more skilled, jumps is
- probably the preferred animation method for you, since that mode is fast and
- doesn't disturb you so much. Select Look-and-feel from the Settings menu, and
- then make your choice on the Box movement page.
-
- o When there's only one box left of any kind, and you don't have any bomb boxes
- or dynamite tiles, there's no way you can solve that level. So, you must try
- to find another solution and see if that works.
-
- o Think strategically and don't let your eyes fool you. Just because you
- explode many boxes at the beginning of a new level doesn't mean you will
- solve the whole level...
-
- If you want to know how to cheat in Blox, I'll give you some hints in the
- Online Reference (Tips & tricks section). But I'm sure you're not interested in
- that, right?
-
-
- ΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉ 3. Menu commands ΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉ
-
- Menu commands
-
- Select the menu command you want to know more about from the following list:
-
- o New - Start a new game
- o Restart level - Restarts the current level
- o Load, Quick Load - Load a saved game
- o Save, Quick Save - Save the current game
- o Undo - Ooops, sorry...
- o Redo - Ooops, even more sorry...
- o Pause - Temporarily suspend the game
- o Load game file - Load another game file
- o Look-and-feel - Change the feeling of the game
- o Interface - How do I look?
- o Sound - Change the sound and music
- o Help index - Where can I get information?
- o How to play - Yes, what shall I do?
- o Tips & tricks - Neat stuff...
- o Menu commands - What's on the menu today?
- o Keys help - What keys can I use?
- o Help using help - Help me...
- o Product information - Who is responsible for this...
-
-
- ΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉ 4. Keys help ΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉ
-
- Keys help
-
- In Blox you will use the following keys:
-
-
- The arrow keys shove all boxes in the corresponding direction.
-
-
- This is a keyboard shortcut that I can assure you that you will use a lot. Use
- Ctrl-R to restart the current level.
-
-
- And this is another one I think you will use a lot too. Use Alt-Backspace to
- undo your bad moves.
-
-
- When you regret an undo move, use Alt-Shift-Backspace to redo the move (undo
- the undo).
-
- Keyboard shortcuts common for all games:
- Ctrl-P pauses the current game.
- Ctrl-N starts a new game.
- Ctrl-S toggles sound on/off.
- Ctrl-M toggles music on/off.
-
-
- Blox can also be controlled by if you prefer that. See the mouse help section
- for information on that.
-
-
- ΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉ 5. Mouse help ΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉ
-
- Mouse help
-
- To shove the boxes using a you click on the arrows button that I'm showing you
- here. It's located in the lower left corner of the game's window. Just click on
- an arrow in this button to shove the boxes in the corresponding direction.
-
-
- ΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉ 6. Blox Introduction ΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉ
-
- Welcome to Blox!
-
- Finally, I've found myself a job! I'm working as a stockroom worker and now my
- boss has told me to get rid of all the boxes in our large stockroom. But
- unfortunately he didn't tell me how to get rid of them. Luckily, I'm a smart
- guy (as you probably already knew) and I've found out that the boxes have a
- very special property. If I place two identical boxes side-by-side, they
- explode and disappear! Don't ask me how it works, I'm just glad it does! The
- various boxes that my boss wants to get rid of are the ones I'm showing you
- here below.
-
- Due to the fact that no scores are calculated in Blox, it's the perfect game
- for you poor losers. In Blox you can never lose, just fail....
- OK, I think that's about it. Let's get some work done here, shall we? To start
- Blox, please press the start button. It is the one I'm showing you here above,
- and it's always located in the upper left corner of the game's window. Just
- press it and your off playing!
-
- If you want some more information before you throw yourself into the game,
- select one of the following related topics:
-
- o How to play - The rules of the game.
- o Tips & tricks - See some neat stuff.
- o Keys help - To learn which keys to use.
- Note that this introduction is only displayed automatically the very first time
- you start the game. If you want to see it some other time, just press the F1
- key.
-
-
- ΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉ 7. Floor page ΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉ
-
- Floor page
-
- Here you can select which background you prefer. You have five predefined
- backgrounds to choose between. The one at the bottom right, with the dice, will
- select a background at random for each level.
-
- If you check the Grid check box, a grid will be placed over the playing field.
- This will make it a little easier for you to see exactly where you are standing
- inside the squares that the playing field is made of. Try it and see if you
- like it.
-
- In the preview window you can see what the result will look like.
-
- Help on buttons
-
-
- ΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉ 8. Movement page ΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉ
-
- Movement page
-
- o Method
- With these three options you can decide how the boxes will move from their
- start positions to their stop positions.
-
- Animation will move the boxes smoothly, in small steps.
- Steps will move the boxes in larger steps (one square at a time).
- Jumps will move the boxes to their stop positions at one go.
-
- o Speed
- This option defines the speed with which the boxes will move. Select between
- slow, medium and fast speed, and watch the result in the preview window.
-
- o Help on buttons
-
-
- ΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉ 9. Misc. preferences page ΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉ
-
- Misc. preferences page
-
- o Check the use explosions check box to display an explosion when the boxes
- disappear.
-
- o Select what information you want to display in the title bar, by checking the
- corresponding check boxes in title bar settings. Game file name will, of
- course, display the name of the game file. Number of moves displays the total
- number of moves you have made, and level number shows what level you're at.
-
- o Help on buttons
-
-
- ΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉ 10. Load game file dialog ΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉ
-
- Load game file dialog
-
- Select a game file you want to load, then press the OK button to load it.
-
- Help on buttons
-
-
- ΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉ 11. Restart level ΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉ
-
- Restart level
-
- This menu option restarts the level. Use it when you've failed and can't get
- rid of all boxes.
-
-
- ΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉ 12. Undo ΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉ
-
- Undo
-
- This option is really useful, it undoes your moves. You can undo all your moves
- back to the start position.
-
-
- ΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉ 13. Redo ΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉ
-
- Redo
-
- This option undoes your 'undos'. Use it when you regret one or more of those
- 'undos'....
-
-
- ΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉ 14. Load game file ΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉ
-
- Load game file
-
- This option loads a game file, the file describing what the stockroom looks
- like.