JCSM Shareware Collection 1996 September/JCSM Shareware Collection (JCS Distribution) (September 1996).ISO/mvp_soft/pickle.zip/PW.DOC

Text File | 1996-02-06 | 23KB | 630 lines

                          Pickle Wars
                       by Karen Crowther

          A Redwood Games and MVP Software Production

Pickle Wars is shareware.  You are free to evaluate this software.
If you like it or find it useful, you must register with MVP
Software.  "Registering" a shareware product means purchasing it
from the author.  When you register you will receive the entire
Pickle Wars three-game trilogy, plus a printed hints book!  Thanks
for playing Pickle Wars and for supporting shareware.  Your honesty
pays.

This is volume one of the Pickle Wars trilogy.

To order the Pickle Wars trilogy, call 800-968-9684 toll-free 24
hours a day.  Please have your Master Card or Visa ready when you
call.  Or fill out the order form at the end of this manual and fax
it to: 616-245-3204.  Make sure your credit card number and
expiration date are legible.  Or if you prefer mail the order form
and your check to: MVP Software, 1035 Dallas SE, Grand Rapids, MI
49507-1407.

For overseas orders or technical support call 616-245-8376.



                     _______
                ____|__     |                (R)
             --|       |    |-------------------
               |   ____|__  |  Association of
               |  |       |_|  Shareware
               |__|   o   |    Professionals
             -----|   |   |---------------------
                  |___|___|    MEMBER

Karen Crowther is a member of the Association of Shareware
Professionals (ASP).  ASP wants to make sure that the shareware
principle works for you.  If you are unable to resolve a
shareware-related problem with an ASP member by contacting the
member directly, ASP may be able to help.  The ASP Ombudsman can
help you resolve a dispute or problem with an ASP member, but does
not provide technical support for members' products.  Please write
to the ASP Ombudsman at 545 Grover Road, Muskegon, MI 49442-9427 or
send a CompuServe message via CompuServe Mail to ASP Ombudsman at
70007,3536.

           How to Register Online and Receive
          the Pickle Wars trilogy Immediately!

MVP is pleased that all MVP shareware products can now be registered
online, with immediate download of the registered version.  This
service is available to anyone in the world who has a Master Card or
Visa and can call from a modem.  To register the Pickle Wars trilogy
or any other MVP shareware game online, call InterComm at
1-310-858-6200.  Once you are connected, go to the MVP section.
There you may download any MVP shareware program free of charge, or
you may order and immediately download any MVP non-shareware title
or registered title.  It's easy and it's fun, so call today.

         Download All the Latest MVP Shareware Games FREE

If your favorite BBS doesn't have an MVP file section, then you may
be missing some great shareware.  To get all the latest and greatest
MVP shareware releases, call one of the leading boards listed below,
and check out the FREE MVP file area.

In Grand Rapids, Michigan -- Ryan's Bar [phone]
In Milwaukee, Wisconsin -- Exec-PC [phone]
In New York, New York -- The Invention Factory [phone]
In Boston, Massachusetts -- Channel 1 [phone]
In Kansas City, Missouri -- Sound Advice [phone]
In Palo Alto, California -- Space BBS [phone]
In Reston, Virginia -- World Data Network [phone]

Or call Intercomm Online at [phone], the new source for
all of MVP's shareware and registered software.

Even better, tell your favorite sysop about the MVP Distribution
Network and how he can be assured of getting all of the latest MVP
shareware hits as soon as they are released.  See the SYSOP.DOC file
for details.

                      MVP is Now on CompuServe!

You can get all of the latest MVP shareware releases, and discuss
MVP titles directly with the authors on MVP's new section on the
world's largest online information network, CompuServe.  Just type
GO MVPSOFT to get to our section!  If you are not a CompuServe
member you are eligible to receive a FREE trial membership,
including software and online time worth almost $55!  That's right,
you get the CompuServe Information Manager software for DOS or
Windows, which normally costs $29.95.  Plus you get a free first
month of online access, worth $9.95.  And to top it off, you get a
usage credit of $15 of additional online time.

To take advantage of this free trial membership to the largest
online service in the world, call 800-848-8199.  Ask for rep 671.
And then GO MVPSOFT and talk to the MVP team on CompuServe.

       MVP is Now on the Internet and the World Wide Web!

You can get all of the latest MVP shareware releases, find out news
of future activities, and give feedback to MVP on the Internet.  To
visit our new home page, just set your WWW browser to this URL:

                  http://www.mvpsoft.com

While there, you can see descriptions of all our releases, download
the shareware versions with a click of your mouse button, and check
out full color screen shots for all of our games.  Be sure to leave
feedback telling us how you like our page!

If you prefer using direct ftp to get our files, you can find them
at the following sites:

                 ftp.mvpsoft.com/pub/mvpsoft
                 ftp.uwp.edu/pub/msdos/games/mvp
                 archive.uwp.edu/pub/msdos/games/mvp
                 ftp.he.net/pub/mvpsoft

These sites also have many mirrors, so just look for a game site
with an MVP directory, and you'll be assured of getting the best
games around!

INSTALLATION
------------
If you downloaded this file from a BBS, you don't need to run
Install.  If you purchased an evaluation disk from a shareware
vendor or the story, follow these directions.  To install Pickle
Wars, place the diskette into the A drive and type A:, or into the B
drive and type B:.  When the A> or B> prompt appears on the screen,
type INSTALL.  Follow the directions to install the software.

To begin the game type PW1.

Note to Windows Users
---------------------
Pickle Wars will run as a DOS application, spawned under Windows,
but you may encounter sound card conflicts.  The best solution if
you run into conflicts is to completely exit from Windows before
starting Pickle Wars.  Clicking on the DOS prompt is NOT exiting
Windows.  You must actually close your Windows session.

Note to OS/2 Users
------------------
Pickle Wars will run under OS/2, but you'll have to do a little
tweaking to make it run correctly, and at the right speed.  Here's
how to do it.

Run Pickle Wars in a full-screen DOS session rather than a windowed
DOS session.  In addition, use the following DOS session settings:

   DOS_BACKGROUND_EXECUTION OFF
   DOS_UMB ON
   HW_TIMER ON
   IDLE_SECONDS 0
   IDLE_SENSITIVITY 75
   VIDEO_8514A_XGA_IOTRAP OFF
   VIDEO_ONDEMAND_MEMORY ON
   VIDEO_RETRACE_EMULATION OFF

The HW-TIMER and VIDEO_xxx settings are critical to running the game
under OS/2.  Anything else makes the game look hyperactive, with
things running way too fast.  Depending on the speed of your system
you may have to experiment with these settings.

Pickle Wars and Sound Blaster 16
--------------------------------
The Sound Blaster 16 sound card causes special problems, especially
in 486 DX2 systems.  If the game locks up, try running it without
digitized sound effects.  Another option is to include the following
command in your AUTOEXEC.BAT:

    SET SB-SET FM:9,9

This command may also make the music louder if it is too soft on
your SB 16.

Making a clean boot disk
------------------------
If you encounter problems running Pickle Wars there may be a
conflict between it and a program resident in memory.  Here's a way
to avoid the conflict.

Place a blank, unformatted diskette into drive A of your computer.
Then type

            FORMAT A:/S/U

and press enter.  When the computer is finished formatting the disk
and copying the system files to it, press the RESET button on your
computer or the ALT-CTRL-DEL keys at the same time.  After your
computer has rebooted, go to the Pickle Wars directory and play the
game.  If it runs, there is a conflict between a resident program
loaded by your AUTOEXEC.BAT or CONFIG.SYS file.  Whenever you want
to play Pickle Wars, simply reboot your computer with the boot disk
you have created.

The Story so far
----------------
Warlike aliens resembling giant dill pickles have invaded the
peaceful human colony of Arcadia.  After 500 years of peace, the
people of Arcadia have put away their weapons.  Their only military
organization is the Coast Guard.  They appear to be helpless against
the alien onslaught.

Fortunately, an enterprising teenager discovers that the Aliens are
deathly afraid of vegetables (no one knows why --- well, actually WE
know why but we aren't telling you, until all becomes clear in
Underneath the Planet of the Pickles).  So the inhabitants of
Arcadia arm themselves with SaladShooters(R) and do battle with the
dread Pickles.

You alternately play our hero, Dave, a history student at the
University, and Linda, a Coast Guard officer.  You must accomplish
many tasks including finding Lord Geric's Depository of Ancient
Weapons, finding the Ancient Weapons themselves, finding more
SaladShooters(R) and ultimately finding the Doomsday Machine itself.

The following keys allow you to run, climb, jump and use the
SaladShooter(R) to toss sliced cucumbers at the Alien Pickles, which
causes them to faint.

Keyboard
--------
Alt or Space ....SaladShooter
Ctrl or Up...............Jump
Right arrow........Move right
Left arrow..........Move left
PgUp..................Look up
PgDn................Look down
Enter..............Open door,
                 Flip switch,
                Activate warp
S................Sound toggle
Esc.........Brings up menu or
            backs out of menu

You can redefine the keyboard from the "Options" "Keyboard" menu.

Joystick
--------
Button 1...........Jump
Button 2...SaladShooter

To use the Joystick you must first go to the menu and choose

   "Options"
   "Joystick"
   "J"

If you do NOT have a Joystick and you tell the program to use one,
the program will slow to a crawl.  If this happens go back into the
Joystick menu and answer "No".

Collect SaladShooters to help you toss vegetables at the Aliens.
Aliens faint at the touch of vegetables!  Your job is to collect all
the Salad-Shooters so that you and your fellow Arcadians can fight
off the alien invasion.

Use your SaladShooters to break the spheres blocking your way.  Ok,
Ok...  we know that cucumbers don't explode but we like explosions.
So Arcadian cucumbers have been genetically altered to explode on
nonliving objects.

Press the SPACE BAR, ALT key or Joystick button to activate your
SaladShooter.

When you see a red button, press the <ENTER> key to activate the
moving platform.  Switches are on when they blink red.

Collect carrots for health.  Remember to eat lots of vegetables to
resist the Pickle Invaders!

Don't let the Pickles near you!  They will take away your health
points!

Warps
-----
Press the Enter key to activate the red switches or the Warps.
Warps look like doorways.  Switches are rectangular and blink when
activated.

If you have trouble getting a warp or a switch to activate when you
press the <ENTER> key, try holding the <ENTER> key down as you walk
back and forth in front of the door or switch.

Save/Restore
------------
Press Esc to bring up the main menu.  Then choose "Game Options" to
see Save and Restore.  The program automatically saves the games
when you quit and you can restore "last game played".

Mail
----
You will see pieces of paper fluttering in the breeze.  This is your
mail and you can read it by touching the paper.

Do not accidentally shoot your mail!

Mail machines deliver your mail.  Do not accidentally shoot them or
you will lose points and miss your messages.

There is only a limited amount of mail that you get on each level.

Beware, though, the Aliens have flying machines about the same size
as the mail machines.  Don't let the Alien machines touch you!

Difficulty Levels
-----------------
On Easy level the aliens are not very good at chasing you and when
they faint, they stay out cold until the end of the level.

On Medium level the aliens are a little smarter at chasing you and
wake up after the faint.

On Hard level the aliens are very smart and wake up quickly after
they faint.

You can change difficulties at any time by pressing ESC to bring up
the menu and then choosing "Game Options", "Difficulty".

Sound and Music
---------------
Press 'S' to activate the sound menu.  Your soundcard information,
joystick setting, and special keyboard definition are all saved in a
file called CONFIG.PW1.  If you have a soundcard installed and tell
the program to turn off music, the music will play next time you
restart the program.  The configuration file only saves information
on the type of card you have.

You can delete CONFIG.PW1 if you want Pickle Wars to allow you to
change your soundcard settings or you can choose "Reconfigure
Soundcard" off the 'S' menu or you can answer 'Y' when the program
asks you whether you want to change soundcards at startup.

If you choose a soundcard that you do not have installed, the
program will hang your computer!

If you have chosen an incorrect soundcard you can run PWSETUP to
change it or delete CONFIG.PW1.

Hints
-----
You can skip the opening cinematic sequence (or any other cinematic
sequence) by pressing <ESC> a couple of times.

Hold the ENTER key down as you walk back and forth in front of
switches or doorways to make it easier to activate switches and
warps.

TROUBLE SHOOTING
----------------
> Game hangs or acts weird.

Delete CONFIG.PW*.  Next time you start the game tell it you do NOT
have any type of soundcard at all.  If it runs OK, you have a
soundcard conflict.

The most likely explanation is that you have told the program that
you have a soundcard that doesn't match the one in your computer.

If you are sure you have told the program the correct soundcard then
you may be having a conflict with some TSR.  See the instructions
for booting from a special bare-bones boot disk.

> Game runs slowly.

You may have Joystick set to "Yes" without a joystick connected.  Go
into the Game Options and choose Joystick and answer "No".

Since this is a true 256 color dual-parallaxing game, it just runs
slowly on a 286.  Try answering Y to the question about soundcards
during startup and tell the program you don't have any soundcards.
The music and digitized sound effects do slow the game down.

Try pressing the grey '+' key.  it speeds up the frame rate.  The
'-' key slows it down.

> Music is messed up or too soft.

You may be running from Windows which sometimes messes up
soundcards.  Read your Soundcard documentation to find out how to
fix this since there are usually settings that will fix it.

You may have one of the SoundBlaster cards that plays music too
softly with our drivers.  Unfortunately, that is something that is
intrinsic to Midpak and one of the SoundBlaster cards.

Check the volume adjustment on your card.

> Joystick only goes in one direction or pegs over.

Try choosing Game Options, Joystick and be sure to center the
joystick before pressing 'J'.

Some joysticks need to be calibrated.  Read your joystick manual to
find out how to do this.

If all else fails, turn the Joystick option to NO and use the
keyboard.

> Insufficient Memory message.

This message means what it says.  You may have limited memory
because you are running from Windows or have a large shell program
loaded.  Try making a "bare-bones" boot disk and running the
program.  If you are using DOS 6 or higher, run MEMMAKER, and
choose the NO EMS option.

> Missing File.

You are missing one of the PW*.* files.  Either it was accidentally
deleted or never installed.  The most common cause of this is if you
have run out of room on your hard disk.  Type DIR and look at how
many bytes free there are.  If there are fewer than about 1,000,000
bytes, lack of disk space is the problem.

NOTES ON YOUR PROGRAM FILES
---------------------------
(Do not read this unless you are a sophisticated user) All files
that start with PW*.* are necessary.  Don't ever delete any of them.
Files that end in *.PW?  can be deleted if you want.  They are:

   high.pw?.....high scores
   config.pw?...music/sound/joystick information
   save*.pw?....save files

Those zillions of *.com, *.adv and *.ad files are part of Midpak
which runs your soundcard.  If you don't have a soundcard you can
delete them if you want.  f you do have a soundcard, you can delete
the ones that don't apply to you.  Do NOT delete:

   PMIDPAK.COM
   MIDPAK.*
   SOUNDRV.COM
   Your specific *.AD, *.ADV and *.COM files.

The above files are necessary for any soundcard.

If your card is not listed, ask your card manufacturer if they have
a Midpak file for it.  If so, just copy it to the Pickle Wars
directory and it SHOULD work if it is for the correct Midpak version
which is NOT the protected mode one.

       Remember:   Arcadia is counting on YOU!

Pickle Wars was created by Redwood Games, Inc.  and is published by
MVP Software, Inc.

Design:                  Story:
  Karen Crowther           Ellen Guon
Programming:             Music:
  Karen Crowther           Robert Prince
Artists:
  William Penn           Mike Tidwell
  Cygnus Multimedia      Electric Paintbrush
  Les Pardew             Jimmie Homburg
  Randy Wakefield        Dale Homburg
Assistant Programmer
  Sage Statham
Quality Assurance
  Ron Taylor             Robbie Sholars

SaladShooter (R) electric slicer/ shredder is a registered trademark
of National Presto Industries, Inc.  and is used here by permission.
Pickle Wars is Copyright 1993 Karen Crowther.  All rights reserved.
Please don't copy the registered versions except for backup
purposes.

                       Ordering Information

The Pickle Wars Trilogy is available from the following authorized
distributors:

In the United States:
--------------------
MVP Software
1035 Dallas SE
Grand Rapids, MI 49507-1407
phone: [phone]-hour order line only
       [phone] information, technical support, or orders.
fax: [phone]

order price: $29.95 plus $4.00 shipping in the US, $5.00 shipping to
Canada, $6.00 shipping everywhere else.  Michigan residents please add
appropriate sales tax.

In Australia:
------------
Budgetware
9 Albermarle St
Newtown NSW 2042
phone: [phone]           fax: [phone]

order price: $A45.00 (includes shipping)

In the United Kingdom:
---------------------
Atlantic Coast Plc.
Station Rd.
Colyton, Devon, EX13 6HA
phone: [phone]            Fax: [phone]
order price: L30 (includes shipping and taxes)
Dealers please enquire.

In Denmark and all of Scandanavia:
---------------------------------
Pro-Soft
Benloese Skel 4 G
DK 4100 Ringsted

phone: [phone]             fax: [phone]

order price: 210,00 kr. + VAT 25% + s/h 25,00

In Japan:
--------
P. & A. Company Ltd
302 Bellwins, 1367-23
Nakagami, Akishima, Tokyo 196

phone: [phone]             fax: [phone]
BBS: 425-46-9143

4500 yen includes shipping and taxes

In Germany, Austria, and Switzerland:
------------------------------------
Topware PD-Service GmbH
Quadrat 0 3, 2
68161 Mannheim
phone: [phone]       Fax: [phone]

price: 49 DM (includes taxes) plus 6 DM shipping

The Netherlands and Belgium
---------------------------
CSD -- Computer Solutions Dorth
Postbus 59
NL-7213 ZH Gorssel
THE NETHERLANDS
phone: [phone]       Fax: [phone]
order price: fl. 70,00 (includes VAT and shipping)

In Italy:
--------
Systems Comunicazioni srl
via Olanda
6 - 20083 Gaggiano

phone: [phone]          fax: [phone]
BBS: [phone]

price: Lire 62.000 IVA inclusa

In Spain:
--------
Friendware S.L.
Rafael Calvo, 40
28010 Madrid

phone: [phone]          fax: [phone]
CIS: 100413,1667

price: 4.000 Pts

                  PICKLE WARS TRILOGY ORDER FORM

Name ________________________________________________________________

Address _____________________________________________________________

City _______________________________ State ______ ZIP _______________

Country (if outside USA) ____________________________________________

CIRCLE HD DISK SIZE:    5-1/4"    -or-   3-1/2"         IMPORTANT!

Price of Pickle Wars Trilogy                                    $29.95
Shipping and Handling (US)                                        4.00
Shipping and Handling (Canada)                                    5.00
Shipping and Handling (all other countries)                       6.00
Michigan residents add sales tax                                  2.04
                                                                ------
Make check payable to "MVP Software"           Total enclosed:  $
Master Card/Visa information (credit card orders only)

Card number __________________________________________

Expiration number ____________________________________
---------------------------------------------------------------------------
VOLUNTARY QUESTIONS:  Please help us determine what features you would like
====================  in future products.

Circle what type of equipment you have:   286    386    486    Pentium
Circle the speed of your computer(Mhz): 16  20  25  33  40  50  66  90  ___
Circle any that apply: Joystick  Mouse  Modem_______  SVGA card____________
                                             (speed)              (type)

Sound Capability:  Adlib   Sound Blaster   SB Pro   SB 16   SB AWE 32
    PC speaker only  Other ____________________________________

Where did you get Pickle Wars?
    Friend   CompuServe   AOL   Ryan's Bar   Exec-PC   Channel 1
    Invention Factory   Space BBS   Sound Advice   World Data Network
    BBS (name): _______________________
    Shareware Distributor (name): _________________________________________

Are you a game player?  Please answer the following questions about what you
like and don't like in computer games.

Approx # of commercial games owned: ____  #Registered shareware games: ____

Circle preference:        Beautiful Graphics     Game Complexity
Circle preference:    Solo against computer   -OR-   Modem 2-Player
Circle preference:    Strategy    Action    Simulation    Other_________
Long term game playability:   Few Levels w/ hard difficulty   Lotsa Levels
---------------------------------------------------------------------------
Send this order form and your check to:

MVP Software, 1035 Dallas S.E., Grand Rapids, MI  49507-1407

US or Canada 24-hour order line: 800-968-9684.  Fax: [phone].
Tech support, information, or overseas order line: 616-245-8376.