(This file should be opened with WordPad or MS-Word for Windows.)
Thank you for playing Tiles and Tribulations! The unregistered version lets you play the first 3 out of 50 levels of the game. (And we are hoping that you like it enough to register for the full game!)
Installation
In order for the background music to play correctly, please ensure that Tiles is installed into a directory which conforms to the MS-DOS 8-character limitation. (Yes, we are working to correct this.)
You may add additional background music files to the same directory where TILES95.EXE resides. The files must be .MID (MIDI) files and are limited to the first 25 in alphabetical order.
Objective
Catch falling colored tiles and drop them into bins in a logical manner. Any three (or more) tiles of the same color in bins going horizontally, vertically or diagonally (or other patterns) will be removed and increase your score. Different levels have different goals, and as the levels increase, so does the skill required to conquer the level!
As you move up through the levels, you will be presented with passwords to gain access to every fifth level. This feature allows you to *warp* to higher levels without having to start a level one each time. (This feature is disabled in the unregistered version.)
Game Play
The following keys are defined to play Tiles and Tribulations:
Left Arrow Moves the player paddle one column to the left.
Right Arrow Moves the player paddle one column to the right.
Down Arrow Drops the topmost tile on the player's paddle into the tile bin.
Up Arrow Rotates the tiles on the player's paddle.
Control Key Increases the speed of the falling tiles to accelerate game play.
P Pauses game play, but does not minimize the application.
Escape Pauses game play and minimizes application to taskbar.
The game is over when the player fails to catch too many falling tiles or when the tile bin has been completely filled.
Scoring
Points are awarded when tiles are dropped into the tile bin to form vertical, horizontal, and diagonal patterns made from same-colored tiles. Bonus points are also scored at the end of each level: 25 points for each tile caught and 200 points for each empty slot remaining in the tile bin. The following list details each of the tile patterns that earn points:
3-Tile-Vertical = 125 points
4-Tile-Vertical = 5,000 points
3-Tile-Horizontal = 1,500 points
4-Tile-Horizontal = 2,500 points
5-Tile-Horizontal = 5,000 points
3-Tile-Diagonal = 2,500 points
4-Tile-Diagonal = 5,000 points
5-Tile-Diagonal = 20,000 points
5-Tile-V = 15,000 points
5-Tile-X = 15,000 points
9-Tile-X = 75,000 points
Goals
Each level in Tiles and Tribulations has a goal that must be accomplished before play can advance to higher levels. Some level goals are based on accumulating points or catching tiles; however, most goals deal with building a number of specific patterns, such as 3-tile diagonals. Building complex patterns is recommended because these complex patterns are equal to multiple simple patterns.
Level Warps
Once registered, at the end of every fifth level, a warp password will be revealed to the player. These passwords can be used to bypass lower levels and start play at later stages of the game. For example, when level 5 is completed, a password will appear at the bottom of the "Level Complete" window. Once this password is obtained, the player then has the option in future games of selecting the Warp function, typing in the password, and immediately starting play at the beginning of Level 6. The Warp function can be used any time during the game to warp to a level higher than the current level.
Registration
Registration is only $21.95 (U.S.) and you can pay with check, money order or cash (sorry, credit cards not accepted at this time). Upon registering, you will be provided with a registration code which will enable you to play the full 50 levels of Tiles and Tribulations (and allow high scores to be saved). Registration will also personalize your copy of the game and get rid of the annoying "PLEASE REGISTER" dialogs and messages. For all we care, you can have it installed on as many of your machines as you'd like. But keep your registration code in a safe place so others do not see it.
In order to register, fill out the registration form and send it in with $21.95. (You may print out registration information from within the program. Follow directions on the initial dialog.)
Note: You may also register via CompuServe via GO SWREG. Search for Tiles and Tribulations v1.5 with registration ID: 8756.
** PLEASE REGISTER **
System Requirements
A PC running Windows95
4 MB of free RAM
4 MB of available hard disk space
sound card
Stereo sound effects are supported on systems capable of playing stereo sounds.
Tech Support
Technical support for Tiles and Tribulations is available at 71174,2675@CompuServe.com. You may also call us at (303) 673-9046 or FAX us at (303) 673-9085. Your best bet is email, however. (Hey - we have day jobs too!)
This program was originally developed for MS-Windows 3.1 and was released in April 1993 as Shareware. The commercial version was released at Winter CES in January 1994 in Las Vegas. A Mac version was released in November, 1995, and the Windows95 version was released in December of '95.
We would like to hear from you. Please send us comments and/or ideas to add to future versions of the game to our email address: 1174,2675@compuserve.com
Credits
Tiles and Tribulations is a registered trademark of Technological Computer Innovations Corporation.
Original Program Design / Coding: Mark Lansdown
Product Direction / Overview: Doug Walgren
Additional Coding / Interface Design: Don Metzler
Mac Version: Don Metzler
Windows95 upgrade: Don Metzler
Artistry: Ayako Mochizuki
Windows MIDI Music Driver: Don Metzler
Stereo Sound Effects: Jay Boersma (gas52r0@uxa.ecn.bgu.edu)
Misc. Additional Sound Effects: The Sound Box / Lakeshore Studios
Beta Testing: Doug Walgren, Brian Metzler, Charlie Kuhn, Shane Lansdown, Karin Claus, Susan Metzler, Steve Johnson, Joe Balinski, Kevin Reinsch, Shawn Johnson, Brian Meston, K. Hatter, Steve Kobloucnik.
Support: Chris Kjaer, Neal Schieberl, Dan O'Connell, The Fuzz, Yoda, Thanos, Clayton, Jeffy D, and the rest of the die-hards from the HTHSC track team so many years ago. Thanks to all others whose names have not been mentioned.
Development Systems: Windows version developed with Microsoft Visual C++ 2.2 on a Dell Pentium/120 MHz, 16 MB RAM. Mac version developed using THINK C 7.0 on a Macintosh Performa 635 CD, 16 MB RAM, PowerPC upgrade card.
Commercial Status: Hey we tried this route, but barriers to entry in the market were huge, and we had other things to pursue, so....if you are a commercial distributor of software and are interested in this, by all means, please contact us.
Distribution: You are hereby granted the right to redistribute (and encouraged) the stuffed version of this file containing the unregistered version. This may be uploaded to BBSs, online services, FTP sites and other such places. It may be copied to disks and given to friends, enemies, colleagues, professors, dishwashers, cooks, car salesmen and to any other walks of life who have a PC (or don't have a PC and are going to buy one). It is illegal to redistribute the registered version in any way, shape or form. So don't do it!
Message To Pirates: Sure, this program can be hacked. All software is able to be pirated, but it is wrong. Please do not do this, as it only hurts the entire market. If you have something to prove, have a ball, hack away and enjoy it. Just don't release your efforts. We appreciate the efforts of hackers, just not pirates who make money off the works of others. Thanks for your consideration. So much for the moral message.
Source Code: See something you like? Would you like the source code for it? If the price is right, the code is yours. We are hesitant to release all the source, at least at the first release of this product. However, since much of the programming experience we have gained was from public domain sources, this may change in the near future.
