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1993-08-17
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S
H
A
R
E
W FINTRIS V1.0
A ----------
R
E
(c) Tommi Tarkiainen 1993
V All rights reserved
E
R
S
I
O
N
HARDWARE REQUIREMENTS
---------------------
This game requires PC compatible machine with a VGA-card ( MCGA should work
just fine ). You must have at least 560000 bytes of free conventional
memory. Fintris was created using a 486/33, but it has been tested on
a 12Mhz 286 and it worked just fine. Mouse is supported.
BACKGROUND
----------
When I started designing Fintris I had two primary goals in mind. First
I wanted to create a tetris with great graphics and second I wanted to add
more variety to the ordinary tetris concept.
This is my first game and I would like here what you have got to say about it.
ALL COMMENTS ARE WELCOME WHETHER THEY ARE POSITIVE OR NEGATIVE.
So what's so special about Fintris? Well, first of all there are THREE
DIFFERENT GAME MODES: single, simultaneous and duel. There are THREE DIFFERENT
BLOCK SETS: simple, normal and complex. Then there's GOOD LOOKING GRAPHICS and
last but not the least MANA!
BUGS
----
Fintris has been thoroughly tested. At the moment there are no known bugs in it.
This, however, doesn't guarantee that there would be no bugs and there probably
are a few. If you find one (or more) you can send me a letter and I will try to
remove it ASAP.
LICENSE
-------
The FINTRIS software may not be circulated in any incomplete or modified form,
nor sold for profit, without written permission of the author. If you
distribute this software to others, you are required to distribute the ENTIRE
package consisting of the files mentioned the distribution list ( see section
FILES INCLUDED ).
DISCLAIMER
----------
The Shareware version for evaluation is provided AS IS.
Tommi Tarkiainen MAKES NO WARRANTY OF ANY KIND, EXPRESSED OR
IMPLIED, INCLUDING WITHOUT LIMITATION, ANY WARRANTIES OF
MERCHANTABILITY AND/OR FITNESS FOR A PARTICULAR PURPOSE.
THE AUTHOR WILL NOT BE LIABLE FOR ANY SPECIAL, INCIDENTAL,
CONSEQUENTIAL, INDIRECT OR SIMILAR DAMAGES DUE TO LOSS OF
DATA OR ANY OTHER REASON, EVEN IF THE AUTHOR HAS BEEN ADVISED
OF THE POSSIBILITY OF SUCH DAMAGES. IN NO EVENT SHALL THE
AUTHOR'S LIABILITY FOR ANY DAMAGES EVER EXCEED THE PRICE PAID
FOR THE LICENSE TO USE THE SOFTWARE, REGARDLESS OF THE FORM
OF THE CLAIM.
REGISTRATION
------------
FINTRIS IS A SHAREWARE GAME. This means that IT ISN'T PUBLIC DOMAIN NOR IS IT
FREE. The shareware version of the game is intended for evalution purposes
only. If you like the game you should register it. Fintris is not crippleware.
The shareware version doesn't lack any features. There is, however, a
configuration utility included in the registered version of the game. Another
difference between the shareware version and registered one are the usual
shareware messages that urge you to register this great software and in that
way support the further development of quality software.
The registration fee is $11 ( this includes $4 for shipping, handling and media
costs ) outside Finland or 50 mk ( this includes 15 mk for shipping etc. ) in
Finland. By registering you are supporting further software development under
shareware concept. When you register you will get the registered version
of Fintris. You can get updates to Fintris for a nominal fee after you have
registered. The registered version of Fintris includes custom configurations
and doesn't have the shareware messages. Custom configurations include keyboard
definition ( You can choose what keys to use in the game. ) and menu setup (
You can set the default menu settings. For example if you wan't to play with
mana on and on level 4 you can set these values as defaults from the
configuration utility. When you start the game next time all you have to do is
to press P ( Play ) and that's it. ). In the future you can register Software
Illusions software for a lower price as a registered user. At the moment there
aren't any other Software Illusions software available except VELORIS, which
is a tetris clone for Amiga. There is at least one game project
under development. Though we haven't decided yet what it is going to be.
HOW TO REGISTER
---------------
All you have to do is to send me a letter with the registration fee, your
name, address and the type of diskette ( eg. 3½" HD )on which you want your
registered version of Fintris. My address can be found at end of this document.
WHAT IS MANA ?
--------------
Mana is a sort of energy that you can use to activate cannons and manipulate
the block queue. You will get more mana when you collapse two or more rows
simultaneously. Mana increases by itself over time but very slowly so you
gain mana mainly by collapsing rows. In the beginning you won't have very
large amount of mana so you should use it sparingly.
The following operations can be accomplished with mana. REMOVING A ROW can be
done by firing the cannon. This is the most mana consuming operation use it
wisely. DUPLICATING A BLOCK is the second most expensive mana operation. When
you press block duplication button the next block will be the same as the one
before it. Note that the block that was in the block queue next before
duplication will come after the duplicate. And last but not the least is
BLOCK REMOVAL. This operation is the least expensive of all. When you press
block removal button the next block in the block queue will be removed.
When mana is in use you don't get as points from collapsing rows and dropping
blocks as when mana is off. This is due to the fact that it is a lot easier
to play when mana is on. So you get points a bit more slowly than without mana,
but you can continue playing longer than usually. It's possible to get a lot
of points very quickly by manipulating the block queue. Block duplication can
prove especially useful in this.
To get the most out of mana you will have to adopt a new playing style.
Here are a couple of tips for you to get started with. Use cannons only
when it's absolutely necessary. Use block duplication to get blocks with which
you can collapse as many rows as possible. Use block removal to remove the
blocks that don't fit your pile.
Here are some statistics to help you with your mana usage.
Number of rows collapsed simultaneously Mana gained
--------------------------------------- -----------
4 rows 11
3 rows 4
2 rows 1
Action Mana consumption
------ ----------------
Fire cannon 7
Duplicate current block 5
Remove next block from queue 3
KEYS
----
MAIN MENU:
Key Comment
--- -------
P Play game
<ENTER> Same as above
<SPACE> Same as above
M Switch mana ON/OFF ( See paragraph "WHAT IS MANA" for more
information on subject )
H Highscore table
S Switch simple blockset ON/OFF
C Switch complex blockset ON/OFF
R Change the direction of block rotation
F Change the falling speed of the block
V Version number
A About Fintris
<F1> One player mode
<F2> Two player mode
<F3> Duel mode ( two players against each other )
1-9 Choose level
<ESC> Quit
DURING GAME:
Key Comment
--- -------
P Pause game ( Press <ENTER> to continue game )
1 Player 1: Fire cannon (default)
2 Player 1: Drop block (default)
3 Player 1: Move cannon downwards (default)
4 Player 1: Move block leftwards (default)
5 Player 1: Rotate block (default)
6 Player 1: Move block rightwards (default)
7 Player 1: Move cannon upwards (default)
8 Player 1: Remove next block from the queue (default)
9 Player 1: Duplicate current block (default)
0 Player 1: Show next block (default)
N Player 2: Fire cannon (default)
<SPACE> Player 2: Drop block (default)
. Player 2: Move cannon downwards (default)
J Player 2: Move block leftwards (default)
K Player 2: Rotate block (default)
L Player 2: Move block rightwards (default)
U Player 2: Move cannon upwards (default)
I Player 2: Remove next block from the queue (default)
O Player 2: Duplicate current block (default)
<ENTER> Player 2: Show next block (default)
<ESC> Abort game
All keys except "P" (Pause) and "ESC" (abort) can be defined with the
configuration utility ( CONFIG.EXE ) that comes with the registered
version of the game.
FILES INCLUDED
--------------
Filename Size Description
-------- ---- -----------
FINTRIS.EXE 68666 The main program
CONFIG.FIN 33 The configuration file
DEFAULT1.KEY 10 Default player 1 keyboard layout
DEFAULT2.KEY 10 Default player 2 keyboard layout
FINBACK.DAT 47997 Graphics file
FINBEG.DAT 62081 Graphics file
FINEND.DAT 56880 Graphics file
FINMENU.DAT 56955 Graphics file
FINSTAT.DAT 50401 Graphics file
FINTEXT.DAT 45025 Graphics file
FINTRIS.DAT 47511 Graphics file
SILOGO.DAT 18553 Graphics file
TOPTEN.DAT 58087 Graphics file
TOPTEXT.DAT 47869 Graphics file
EFINTRIS.TXT 12830 Document file in English
SFINTRIS.TXT 12797 Same in Finnish
The following files can only be found in the REGISTERED version:
Filename Size Description
-------- ---- -----------
CONFIG.EXE - The configuration program
( NOT INCLUDED IN SHAREWARE VERSION )
ECONFIG.TXT - Documentation for the configuration program
( NOT INCLUDED IN SHAREWARE VERSION )
SCONFIG.TXT - Same as above, but in Finnish
( NOT INCLUDED IN SHAREWARE VERSION )
CREDITS
-------
Design and programming:
Tommi Tarkiainen
Software Illusions logo:
Miikka Vilermo
Tommi Tarkiainen
Technical advice:
Antti Leinonen
Kalle Salminen
Additional ideas:
Kalle Salminen
Timo Haanpää
Miikka Vilermo
Pasi Perttilä
Beta testing:
Erkko Lehtonen ( Special thanks to Erkko for exhaustive game
testing )
Teppo Lehtonen
Timo Haanpää
Kalle Salminen
Miikka Vilermo
Pasi Perttilä
Juha Tarkiainen
Hannu Tarkiainen
and many others
SOURCE CODE AVAILABILITY
------------------------
YES, you can get source code for Fintris. Fintris was programmed using
assembly language and C. The low level graphics routines are completely
assembly language, the game itself is done using C-language.
But because of the hard work involved in graphics routines and others, I
am forced to ask a fairly large amount of money for them. If you are
interested you can contact me at the address below.
HOW TO CONTACT THE AUTHOR
-------------------------
You can contact me through mail at the following address. All ideas, bug
reports and other comments are welcome.
Tommi Tarkiainen
Pienkodinkatu 10
33560 Tampere
FINLAND