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AntiMatter User Manual
($VER: AntiMatter.doc $Revision: 1.5 $ $Date: 95/01/25 22:30:27 $)
Copyright © 1995 Adam Levin-Delson All Rights Reserved
Permission is hereby granted to distribute the AntiMatter executable and
documentation via electronic means and in Amiga software collections for
which no charge or only a small amount of money more than production costs is
charged.
AntiMatter is a single-player strategy game in which the computer hides a
number of atoms in a chamber. You must determine the locations of the atoms
by firing plasma rays into the chamber and observing where the rays (which
are influenced by the atoms) emerge.
This documentation is divided into the following categories:
1 Features - Features of this implementation.
2 Instructions - How to play AntiMatter.
3 Bug reports - How to report bugs to the author.
4 Source code - How to obtain the Source code.
5 Acknowledgements - Acknowledgements and credits.
6 Release history - Describes the various versions of AntiMatter.
Documentation is available during gameplay at the press of the Help key. To
enable this feature, assign "AM:" to the directory where AntiMatter.doc can
be found.
=============================================================================
1 AntiMatter Features - Features of this implementation.
Stereo sound
- Four-channel stereo sound follows the action!
- Conforms to the Amiga's "channel-locking" convention, allowing channels to
be stolen by higher priority requests, and later returned to the original
owner.
Animated Pointer
- 30fps animated pointer using a proprietary vertical-blank interrupt handler.
- Multiple instantiations of AntiMatter share the animating routine.
Configurable
- The player can choose how large a chamber to use (6x6 through 14x14)
as well as how many atoms will be hidden (3 through 8). (See "Starting
AntiMatter".)
OS-sensitive
- Runs under AmigaOS 1.3, 2.x and 3.x and on all 680x0 processors.
Low memory usage
- Opens a lo-res screen and uses a "shading" pattern to extend the color
palette.
- Chip RAM audio samples are shared for the various sound effects.
Well tested
- Developed using Enforcer and Mungwall.
=============================================================================
2 AntiMatter Instructions - How to play AntiMatter.
A new game is set up when Antimatter is first invoked. Changing the
configuration of the board (see "Starting AntiMatter") will also set up a
new game, as will selecting "New game" from the "Project" menu.
The instructions are divided into the following sub-categories:
2.1 Starting Antimatter
2.2 Firing rays
2.3 Ray travel
2.4 Marking choices
2.5 Scoring
2.6 Menus
2.7 Online Help
2.8 Tips
=============================================================================
2.1 Instructions - Starting Antimatter
Antimatter can be started from either the Workbench (by double-clicking on
the Antimatter icon) or from the shell. Game preferences can be specified
from either interface.
--------------------------------------
2.1a Starting AntiMatter - Workbench
The number of atoms and size of the chamber can be set in AntiMatter's icon
(using "Information" from the Workbench) with "ATOMS=" and "SIZE=" tooltypes.
An additional ToolType parameter, "SOUNDPRI=" can be used to set the priority
of AntiMatter's sound effects. If SOUNDPRI is set to the special value
"999", AntiMatter will not generate any sounds.
Valid numbers of atoms range from 3 to 8; chamber size from 6 (6x6) to 14
(14x14).
The default values for the tooltypes are as follows:
ATOMS=4
SIZE=8
SOUNDPRI=127
--------------------------------------
2.1b Starting AntiMatter - Shell
The number of atoms and size of the chamber can be specified when starting
AntiMatter from the Command Line (Shell). An additional argument can be used
to set the priority of AntiMatter's sound effects. If SOUNDPRI is set to the
special value "999", AntiMatter will not generate any sounds.
Valid numbers of atoms range from 3 to 8; chamber size from 6 (6x6) to 14
(14x14).
The syntax of the command depends upon the version of the operating system
installed on your Amiga.
Newer versions of AmigaDOS (specifically, version 2.04 and later) use the
"ReadArgs" syntax:
Antimatter ATOMS=4 SIZE=8 SOUNDPRI=127
Older versions use a Unix-style syntax:
AntiMatter -a4 -s8 -p127
Both formats shown above illustrate the default AntiMatter values.
--------------------------------------
2.1c Starting AntiMatter - Sound Priority
AntiMatter allocates all four Amiga audio channels to create action-specific
stereo sound. A priority level of 127 will prevent any other application
from stealing AntiMatter's audio channels. Anything less than 127 (down to
-128) will allow applications with a higher audio priority to steal the
channels. AntiMatter will attempt to reallocate stolen channels as soon as
they are freed.
=============================================================================
2.2 Instructions - Firing Rays
Fire a ray by positioning the laser (cursor) at one of the chamber entrances
(the squares along the chamber edges) and clicking the left mouse button.
The entrance (and exit, if the ray ultimately exited the chamber) will then
be indicated with a colored marker (described in Ray travel) determined by
how the chamber's atoms influenced the ray.
=============================================================================
2.3 Instructions - Ray travel
A ray will normally travel in a straight line (an Unimpeded flight, the ray
passes straight through the chamber) unless acted upon by one or more atoms.
There are two primary ways in which a ray can be effected by atoms:
Absorption - The ray is absorbed by an atom in the chamber.
Deflection - The ray is caused to veer 90° from a straight line.
There are two special cases of Deflections known as Reflections.
Note that the influence of multiple atoms in the chamber can combine to yield
complex results.
--------------------------------------
2.3a Ray travel - Unimpeded flight
If there are no atoms directly in the ray's path, nor along the left or right
of the path, the ray will pass straight through the chamber, exiting on the
opposite side.
The entrance and exit locations will be indicated with like-color markers.
--------------------------------------
2.3b Ray travel - Absorption
If a ray is fired directly into an atom, it is absorbed, and does not exit
the chamber.
The square where the ray entered the chamber will be indicated with a black
marker.
--------------------------------------
2.3c Ray travel - Deflection
If a ray would pass immediately alongside an atom the ray will be deflected
away from the atom at a right angle to its original path.
If the ray would have passed the atom on the atom's right side, the ray is
deflected to the right.
If the ray would have passed on the atom's left side, it is deflected to the
left.
Note that the deflection occurs one square *before* the ray and the atom
would be next to each other. The entrance and exit locations will be
indicated with like-color markers.
There are two important conditions that result in a special type of
deflection known as a Reflection.
......................................
2.3d Ray travel - Reflection
If the deflecting atom is alongside the square at which the ray would enter
the chamber, the ray is unable to be deflected, and is instead reflected
directly back out.
This reflection is indicated with a white marker at the attempted entrance
point.
A reflection also occurs if there are two atoms straddling the ray's path (ie
they are exactly one square apart and the ray is traveling down the path
between them). The ray is deflected both right and left at the same time,
but cannot overcome either atom, and is instead reflected back along the path
from which it came.
The ray emerges from the same location it entered, and the reflection is
indicated with a white marker.
=============================================================================
2.4 Instructions - Marking choices
As you fire rays into the chamber, and observe the results, you will start to
form an idea of where the hidden atoms are.
You can mark your suspected locations by positioning the cursor over the
desired location in the center grid of the chamber and clicking the left
mouse button, creating a white marker.
Clicking on the same location again will remove the marker. While you may
place as many markers in the center grid of the chamber as you like, you will
not be able to score your guesses if you have more markers than there are
atoms hidden in the chamber.
=============================================================================
2.5 Instructions - Scoring
During game play, you may place as many markers in the center grid of the
chamber as you like. In order to calculate your score, however, you may have
no more markers than there are atoms hidden in the chamber.
Once you believe that you have correctly guessed the location of all the
atoms in the chamber, (as indicated by your white markers in the center
grid), choose the menu item "Guess/How did I do?".
If the "How did I do?" menu choice is ghosted (disabled), you have too many
markers on the center grid of the chamber. Simply click on the unneeded
markers until you have as many (or fewer) markers as there are atoms hidden
in the chamber.
To calculate your score, the actual locations of the atoms will be displayed.
Atoms which you correctly guessed will be marked with a checkerboard marker,
atoms which you missed will be solid red, and atoms which you thought existed
but didn't are left in white.
Your score is calculated from the number of rays fired, and the number of
atoms correctly guessed. The lower your score the better.
=============================================================================
2.5a Instructions - Score calculation
The formula used for calculating the score is:
( 5 * ( A - C ) ) + R
where
A is the number of atoms embedded in the chamber.
C is the number of atoms correctly identified
with markers in the center of the chamber.
R is the number of ray markers along the edges
of the chamber.
=============================================================================
2.6 Instructions - Menus
AntiMatter has three main menus:
2.6a Project menu
2.6b Prefs menu
2.6c Guess menu
--------------------------------------
2.6a Menus - Project Menu
The "Project/New Game" menu item (Keyboard shortcut "Right-Amiga N") will
begin a new game with the selected game parameters of chamber size and number
of atoms.
The "Project/About..." menu item ("Right-Amiga A") gives credit for the
original board game upon which AntiMatter is based.
The "Project/Quit" menu item ("Right-Amiga Q") will exit the game.
--------------------------------------
2.6b Menus - Prefs Menu
There are several menu selections that will help you tailor AntiMatter to
your desired level of difficulty. The "Prefs/Atoms" and "Prefs/Size of
Chamber" menu items will allow you to set the number of atoms and the size of
the chamber. The currently selected values are displayed in a "ghosted" or
dimmed manner. As soon as you change one of these parameters, a new game
will be created using the new value(s). You can choose from both the "Atoms"
and "Size of Box" menus without releasing the "menu" (right) mouse button in
between. This is known as extended-selecting the items.
These preferences can also be specified when AntiMatter is invoked from
either the Workbench or Shell.
--------------------------------------
2.6c Menus - Guess Menu
The "Guess/Clear Markers" and "Guess/Set Markers" menu items (Keyboard
shortcuts "Right-Amiga C" and "Right-Amiga S", respectively) will allow you
to clear or set all the center grid markers at once.
The "Guess/How did I do?" menu item ("Right-Amiga T") will tally up your
score. You will be unable to select this item if there are too many "guess"
markers on the center grid.
=============================================================================
2.7 Instructions - Online Help
Pressing the "Help" key during game play will interrupt the action and call
up "AmigaGuide" to display this documentation.
AmigaGuide will be instructed to look in the same directory that AntiMatter
is located in for "AntiMatter.guide".
Should either AmigaGuide or the guide file not be found, AntiMatter will
attempt to call up "More" (actually Sys:Utilities/More) on
"AM:AntiMatter.doc".
=============================================================================
2.8 Instructions - Tips
2.8a Preferences
2.8b Beginner games
2.8c Deflections
2.8d Impossibilities
--------------------------------------
2.8a Tips - Preferences
The default size of 8x8 and 4 atoms is a good starting point, but feel free
to make the chamber smaller or the atoms fewer when learning how the rays are
effected by the atoms.
--------------------------------------
2.8b Tips - Beginner Games
To help in understanding how rays are effected by the atoms, you may choose
to fire rays into all possible entrances, then select the "Guess/How did I
Do" menu to see the locations of the atoms, and then study the path of all
the rays.
--------------------------------------
2.8c Tips - Deflections
Keep in mind that Deflections occur one square before the ray would be
alongside an atom.
--------------------------------------
2.8d Tips - Impossibilities
There are configurations of atoms ("molecules") which cannot be completely
determined even if rays are fired into all chamber entrances.
The likelihood of such molecules increases with the number of atoms embedded
in the chamber.
=============================================================================
3 Bug reports - How to report bugs to the author.
Bug Reports are encouraged, and may be sent electronically or by mail to the
author.
The first person to report each reproducible bug will receive a corrected
copy as soon as it is available.
=============================================================================
4 Source code - How to obtain the Source code.
SAS 'C' (v6.51) source code for AntiMatter is available from the author for
US$10 (this includes postage in the United States; peoples of all other
countries [unite!] must include appropriate postage to pay for the shipment
of one diskette from the US to your country).
680x0 assembler source code for AnimPtr, the sharable vertical-interrupt
handler for pointer animation is available for US$5.
Note that the source code for AntiMatter and AnimPtr are not redistributable.
They may, however, be used as the basis for other programs, which may be
distributed as you see fit, so long as an acknowledgement of my original
source is clearly given.
--------------------------------------
4.a AntiMatter - Contacting the author
Contact me to report bugs found in AntiMatter, or to obtain a copy of the
source code.
My mail address is:
Adam Levin-Delson
22325 53rd Ave SE
Bothell, WA 98021 USA
My E-Mail address is: aklevin@bix.com
=============================================================================
5 AntiMatter - Acknowledgements
AntiMatter is based upon the board game "Black Box", by Eric Solomon. It was
originally produced by Waddingtons House of Games in the United Kingdom, and
then by Parker Brothers in the United States of America.
AntiMatter is Copyright © 1988-1995 Adam Levin-Delson All Rights Reserved
Many thanks to the following people:
Bernie Cosell and Bruce Barnett, for their kind help in providing
information and materials pertaining to the two board-game
versions of "Black Box".
Michael Sinz, Peter Cherna, Spencer Shanson and Carolyn Scheppner,
all of(at the time) Commodore Business Machines.
Peter Kunath for audio channel-sharing example code.
Boyd & Gian Edmondson for beta-testing.
Toby Douglass for bug-reporting.
=============================================================================
6 AntiMatter - Release history
AntiMatter's version number can be found in the information provided by the
"About..." menu selection as well as from the AmigaDOS "Version" command.
Version Date Comments
1.0 1988 Working (audioless) version. Not distributed.
1.XX 1993 - 1994 Took advantage of AmigaOS 2.x/3.x features.
Added animated pointer.
Added sound routines.
2.0 06 Jan 1995 First full release.
2.1 25 Jan 1995 Fixed bug preventing Euro36 screens from opening.
(Toby Douglass found this.)