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ASCII text, with escape sequences
— 19K bytes
— 1992-09-02
— PP20 compressed
[33m Syzygy V2.0
===========
(C) 1992 by Keith P. Johnson
============================
Basic important information
===========================
[32;4mThe Archive
[0m
This archive should contain the following files:
Syzygy - the game itself
SyzygyHiUtil - utility to erase high score charts
Syzygy.MoreMe - brief explanation of game and feature list
Versions.txt - history file for Syzygy (Colors, too)
Syzygy.Doc - this file you're reading right now!
Syzygy.Doc.Prw - a ProWrite version of this doc file
SyzygyHiUtil.Doc - doc file for the Syzygy high score utility program
SyzygyHi.abk - the high score file
Fonts (dir) - contains the KeeferClean font, if you like it
All files should also have associated .info files (including the external
drawer icon).
[32;4mBackground
[0m
I wrote this game for a number of reasons. The first reason is because I
wanted to get to know the Amiga a little bit better. The second reason is
because I wanted a game out that I really liked playing (and I hope that I'm
picky enough that you really enjoy this game as well). After all, how can
anyone expect someone to like their game if it's really a half-baked effort
and they don't really like it themselves. The third reason is because at the
time I started thinking about working on a project like this, there was a
distinct lack of software that was guaranteed to work on an A3000 with OS
2.04. Lastly, and probably most of all, was the quality of shareware and
freeware and any other kind of -ware in this genre. The most blazing example
of this is the game "Quattro." This game made the AmigaWorld top 10 public
domain game list back in '90 I think it was. I found this game to be of
pretty poor quality and very, VERY badly programmed. And thinking that if a
game like that could make the list, I could write something of good enough
quality (certainly better than Quattro) that could also make the list.
[32;4mDistribution
[0m
This program multitasks fairly well, but due to the fact that I cannot be
responsible for the integrity of the compiler (though I've never had any
problems with it, especially not with Syzygy), I cannot be responsible for
any damage to your software/hardware as a result of using this program. But
if you are optimizing your hard drive, a good rule of thumb is not to run ANY
other program in the background. If you DO, well, you're just asking for
trouble anyway, so don't come after me!
This program is distributed as SHAREWARE. The shareware concept is fairly
simple, but it depends on you, the user, to support it. Basically, you get
this game from your local board, network, or FTP site. You un-lha it, you
try it for a few days, and decide if you like it or not. If you do, then you
should send me money. If you don't (why WOULDN'T you?!?), then just delete
it and forget about it.
The registration fee for this program is a MERE $10! A BARGAIN! AND, if you
own AMOS, or some other language, and you'd like the source code, I'll send
it to you, both as an AMOS program, including all the banks used, and a text
file with the AMOS source code, for a total of $20. Please send money and
any comments to the addresses at the bottom.
A few words about shareware: Shareware is not commercial software for a
number of reasons. One is that shareware programs can often rival commercial
stuff in quality, and it is almost always a better value for the money.
Often authors (like me) don't want to deal with a software house. Since we
directly get all the money, we can offer lower prices. And the quality is
often better because people aren't going to send you money if the program is
no good. This is a BIG advantage over commercial software, where you are
forced to shell out the money beforehand, unless you engage in obtaining
"evaluation copies" to test them out, which is illegal. Also, WE WANT YOU TO
COPY OUR PROGRAMS! Yes, that's right! Spread this program EVERYWHERE. The
more people get it, the more potential people to send in contributions. Give
it to all your friends, upload it to your BBS, put it on a network, etc.
Because we want you to do this, piracy becomes a moot point. Just remember
though, the shareware concept is designed for YOU THE CONSUMER. And unless
you want to just be stuck with a commercial market (as was the case for many
many years until shareware became viable and popular), you'll support the
shareware concept. Now, admittedly there are a lot of crappy programs that
don't deserve to be paid for (like Quattro), but I really don't feel that
this is a crappy program, and I hope you agree with me. The future of
shareware depends on you. Chances are very good that this program with only
a fraction more effort, would cost $29.95 at your local software store. I'm
being quite serious, considering that most games are going for $39.95 -
$49.95. So please do your part and we can beat the overpriced commercial
system.
[32;4mStarting the program
[0m
The only requirement for this game is that the file "SyzygyHi.abk" is in the
current directory (generally the same directory that the actual program is
in). So if you start it from WorkBench, the SyzygyHi.abk file must be in the
same window as Syzygy. From CLI, you must be in the directory of the
SyzygyHi.abk file regardless of whether the program is there or not. IF YOU
DON'T HAVE A SYZYGYHI.ABK FILE, THE GAME WILL NOT RUN. However, you can
create one by running the SyzygyHiUtil program. This is explained in detail
in the SyzygyHiUtil.Doc file.
After starting the program, you will see a screen that says "Written with
AMOS" and then a Logical Alternatives logo screen. Then a quick info page
will pop up and wait for you to hit a key. Finally, the title page appears,
and the game goes into "demo" mode. This isn't really a demo, but that's
just what I call it. Basically, it flips between the title page, the quick
info page, the champion score page, and the 6 high score pages (2 for each
game - 1 shows the top 20, the 2nd shows the next 80). At any point in demo
mode you can start a game or quit the program.
[32;4mBasic game play
[0m
Even though there are 3 different games to play, there are several universal
key elements to the game:
PIT - This is the area of play. The pit measures 9 blocks across by 18
blocks down.
BLOCK - A block is a single spot in the pit. Each block can either be 1 of
the 4 colors or be a "wild" block. The wild block (signified by
constant flashing) can be 1, 2, 3, or all 4 colors at once. In all
games there is an indicator that shows how many blocks you have
cleared that game.
PIECE - This is what drops from the top of the screen and is the sole object
you have control over at any point in the game. A piece is made up
of 3 blocks. It can be moved around, rotated 90 degrees, or dropped.
It should be pointed out that any piece has a 1 in 15 chance of
having a wild block in it. (There'll never be more than one wild
block in a given piece.)
LINE - A line is 4 or more blocks of the same color in a row either
horizontally, vertically, or diagonally. The longer the line, the
more points are scored. Also, vertical lines score the least, then
horizontal lines, and diagonal lines score the most.
DROP - When referred to as a noun in this game, it means the number of points
you scored (or have to score) as a result of a single drop of a piece
(which may then set off a series of like 10 chain reactions).
BRICK - In the Arcade Game, there are gray blocks that are stationary. These
"bricks" do not move nor can they be cleared except by random chance.
ROUND - In the Arcade and Skill Games, this indicates the round number you
are on. When you meet the goal, the board is cleared and you go on
to the next round.
LEVEL - Refers to the current speed at which the piece falls. This is only
displayed in the Endurance Game, but is kept track in all of them.
In the Endurance Game, every 20 lines increases the speed (unless you
started at a higher level in which case the game must "catch up"
before it speeds up). In the Arcade and Skill Games, it speeds up
with every 15 pieces you go through. The base speed of the start of
each round of the Arcade Game is determined by what round you started
on and how many rounds you have gone through. In the Skill Game, the
starting speed is determined as a characteristic of the round; that
is, every you time you start a certain round, it will ALWAYS start at
that speed. In all cases, level 0 means you have one second before
the piece falls one block, and it speeds up 1/10th of a second for
each level afterward. Level 9 is the highest; a piece will drop one
line every 1/10th of a second.
At the start of each game (or each round for Arcade and Skill Games), you are
presented with a clean pit (except some Arcade Game rounds have starting pit
configurations) and a piece will start falling from the top. Using the
movement keys, you move the piece to the left and right, rotate the piece
(there is NO color cycling like in Columns, so a color that's in the middle
of a piece will STAY in the middle), and speed down the piece. When you have
the piece where you want it, you should speed it down by holding down that
key. To get credit for the entire drop, you must hold down the speed down
key until you hear the piece fall with a "thud." Otherwise, you'll only get
points from where you started pushing it again if you let it go. Speed-down
is helpful if you don't want to wait the whole time for a piece to pass a
certain point so you can move it under a brick or something (hold it down,
let it go, move it over, then speed it down the rest of the way).
One strange thing about dropping pieces that is unique to this game: When a
piece can't go any further because it hit a brick or because part of it hit
other pieces already in the pit, if ANY OTHER PART OF THE PIECE CAN CONTINUE
TO FALL, IT WILL! Example: You stack a bunch of pieces vertically in the
middle of the screen, then put a horizontal piece on top of the column. If
the center of the piece hits the column, the 2 ends will split off and fall
toward the bottom of the screen. If you put on of the ends on the column,
the center and other end of the piece will continue to fall. This will take
a few games to get used to! But after playing around with it a little bit,
you will get the idea. This makes the game much more interesting (and a LOT
easier to program). The number of points you get for the fall, however, is
determined by where the piece originally couldn't move anymore, not by how
far the breakaway pieces fell.
At each piece drop, the game checks to see if any lines were formed. If so,
those lines are shown (by flashing white and the color) and then removed.
After the pieces are removed, the rest of the pieces will fall if the can,
and the game will check for lines again. Currently, the best I have seen is
6 chain reactions after the original drop. You get a bonus for each chain
reaction, and values for lines formed after chain reactions are increased.
It is a good idea to try to form chain reactions because scores can really go
up.
This process will continue until you finish a round or the game ends. The
game can end by one of 2 ways: A) You totally finish every Arcade round or
Skill round that there is (yeah, right!), or B) There is a block in the
middle of the top of the pit where the new pieces come on screen. When this
happens, hit a key and see if you made the high score chart.
Sounds simple, right? Well, this game will certainly take you awhile to get
really good at it. And hopefully, with 3 different games to play, when you
get really good at one you can go on and work on the next one. The ultimate
goal of Syzygy is to get through all of the Skill Game rounds that there are.
The Arcade Game is designed more for Arcade-Type play, therefore not as much
emphasis is placed on that game as the Skill Game to get to the end. In
fact, I doubt anyone (including me) will ever get to the end of the Arcade
Game. But I have gotten through every Skill Game level I've made so far, so
you can rest assured that it's technically POSSIBLE to win the Skill Game!
[33m
Game descriptions
=================
[32;4mEndurance Game
[0m
The object of this game is simply to make as many lines as you can. Although
well-played games that have 9-long diagonals and some other lines will do
fairly well, in general if you only try for lines you'll do a lot better. At
the start of the Endurance Game, you'll be prompted to select the starting
level for play. This has 2 major impacts on game play: A) The speed at
which the game starts (the higher the level, the faster, as explained above)
and B) The bonus at the end of the game. The end-of-game bonus is described
in the scoring section below, but the higher level you start out on, the more
bonus points you score.
As stated above, every 20 lines you clear increases your level unless you
started at a higher one. In this case, you must get the right number of
lines as it would take starting from level 0. So if you started at level 4,
you'd still need to clear 100 lines before the game went to level 5.
[32;4mArcade Game
[0m
This game is loosely based on the arcade version of T*tris. It provides the
basic idea of Syzygy but throws in "arcade-y" elements such as starting board
configurations, and in later rounds random events, such as blocks just
suddenly popping up, bricks appearing, or blocks disappearing causing the
entire board to shift. This game can be played either to get as many points
as possible by clearing exotic types of lines or by meeting the goals of the
rounds early enough to get huge bonus points.
The rounds have three different types of goals that must be completed:
x LINES - Clear x number of lines to go on to the next round.
x POINTS - Earn x many points (any way you can) to finish the round.
x DIAGONALS - Get x diagonal lines to clear the round. You still get points
for other lines, but only diagonal lines (of any length) count
toward moving on.
When you select Arcade Game, you will be presented with a menu of possible
starting points. Each of these is a line round. Rounds always come in the
order presented above, then starting over in the same order. Here are the
obstacles presented in the game:
Round Obstacles
----- ---------------------
1 Nothing!
4 Starting color configuration
7 Starting brick configuration
10 Randomly appearing colors
13 Randomly appearing bricks
16 Starting color configuration & randomly appearing colors
19 Starting brick configuration & randomly appearing bricks
22 Randomly appearing colors and bricks
25 Starting color configuration & randomly appearing colors and bricks
28 Starting brick configuration & randomly appearing colors and bricks
31-42 Randomly appearing colors and bricks & alternating configurations
The highest round you can start at is round 22. The way the speed for a
round is determined is based on two things: The round you started and how
many rounds you've completed. No matter what round you start on, you'll
start off at level 0 (the slowest). Every 2 rounds you complete, the base
speed goes up by one level. So if you started at round 1, round 10 would be
going at level 4 speed. You'd be going at level 9 speed at round 19. The
best I've done starting at round 1 is getting to round 20. The highest I've
ever gotten is round 28.
There are 3 different color and brick configurations each. Also, the higher
you go, the more likely that random colors and bricks are going to appear.
There are certain conditions when bricks and colors will NOT appear: Any
time you've completed one line or more, nothing random will show up. Also,
if the column a color is supposed to appear is too close to the top (within 3
lines) of the pit, it won't come up. Things work a little differently with
bricks: They may appear ANYWHERE on the screen (not just on top of one of
the columns). However, if a brick is supposed to show up, there is a 50-50
chance that INSTEAD of a brick appearing, that block will be cleared. If
this is in "mid-air," then obviously nothing will happen. If it happens to
be where you already have a block, it disappears and the entire column falls.
Sometimes this can lead to a series of chain reactions (especially in those
last desparation moments near the end of a round).
[32;4mSkill Game
[0m
This game is similar to the Arcade Game in many aspects, except there are no
arcade elements and the emphasis is on getting past all of the rounds. Also,
each round is the same speed and same goal no matter how many times you play
it or where you start. The only differnce is in the pieces that come out
which is always random in any game.
A good idea would be to start with one of the other 2 games first, since they
provide a better learning area than the skill game. The skill game is so
specific in some of its goals that it would probably bog down the first-time
player until he/she gets used to the game.
There are 4 different types of goals that must be met, and although many of
them are similar to the arcade version, some have unusual twists.
x LINES OF y BLOCKS - x lines must be cleared, but each line that counts
toward the goal must be at least y blocks long.
x POINTS - Same as the arcade. Get x points to go on.
x BLOCKS - Clear x blocks. Notice that blocks that are cleared in
more than one line (such as a cross of horizontal and
vertical lines) only count once!
x DROPS OF y POINTS - As stated above, a DROP is the result of one single
piece drop. Here, you must set up the board so that
you get x drops that are worth at least y points.
These can get really hard!
After starting to design the rounds, I came up with the idea of using the
drop round type as a "survival" type of round. So every now and again,
you'll see a massive number of drops with a super-low point value. In these
cases, the objective is simply to survive that number of pieces, as every
single drop will meet the point requirement (no matter how short of a fall
distance there is).
This game features the use of a password system for playing at higher levels.
This is so that once you get to certain points you can get to them fairly
easily and not have to play the lesser boards over and over. You are given
a password after clearing 10 levels. So passwords will start you at rounds
11, 21, 31, etc. If you type a bad password at the start, you'll start at
round 1. The reason passwords are used is because I want people to have to
go through all of the levels, unlike the Arcade Game, where it really doesn't
matter.
The first 10 rounds are fairly easy; they are intended to get your feet wet
in the skill game. The hardest ones will probably wind up being the drop
rounds. Starting at round 11, the goals will start to get progressively
harder. I have tried to make each group of 10 somewhat equal in difficulty,
but that is not always possible. There will always be the real easy rounds
and the really hard ones. Starting at round 31, more and more "speed" rounds
are introduced where you really have to start thinking quickly. Round 41
features the first round that you are required to get a 9-long line. At
round 51, most of the goals are either speed rounds or fairly difficult types
of goals (notably surviving 200 pieces in round 56).
At the point of this writing, there are 60 rounds to complete. I hope to
have at least 100 for full distribution.
[33m
Scoring
=======
[32;4mIntroduction
[0m
There are a billion ways to score points in this game (at least it seems that
way). There is one important concept used in my scoring system: The
progressive bonus. By this, I mean that the more times you score a certain
bonus, the more it is worth. Every time progressive scoring or bonuses are
discussed, there'll be mention of a BASE SCORE. In all cases, the base score
is the number of points earned the first time, and it is also the number of
points the bonus is increased. Example: A bonus has a base score of 10.
The first time you earn that bonus, you get 10 points. The second time you
get it, you get 20 points. The third time, 30. By that time, you have
gotten 60 points total (10 + 20 + 30). When something is called a
progressive score or bonus, you'll be given a base score, how it's earned,
and when it's reset back to the base score.
When discussing the scores, unless otherwise indicated, all scores apply to
all of the games. When a score is applicable to 1 or 2 games only, it is
indicated next to the name of the score.
[32;4mFall score
[0m
The points earned for dropping the piece. This score varies from game to
game, but it is roughly determined by the round you are on (for Skill and
Arcade), how fast the piece is moving, and how far it falls. In all cases,
the further it falls, the more points you get. Remember you must HOLD DOWN
the speed-down key to get credit for the full distance.
[32;4mLines
[0m
Obviously, this is the entire point of the game. Here is a table of line
scoring base values:
Length Vertical Horizontal Diagonal
------ -------- ---------- --------
4 100 500 1000
5 1000 1500 2500
6 2500 3000 5000
7 5000 6000 10000
8 10000 12000 25000
9 15000 25000 50000
10 30000 - -
11 40000 - -
12 50000 - -
13 100000 - -
14 150000 - -
Any line that has a wild block in it will score 1/2 its usual base value. It
is absolutely impossible to get more than 9 horizontally or diagonally at a
time, since the pit is only 9 blocks wide. I am next-to-almost sure that 14
is the greatest length possible vertically. Anyone who wants to prove
otherwise is welcome to try to do so, and if you can, well, you get
international recognition by having me print your name in this file and the
satisfaction that you proved me wrong!
[32;4mChain reaction multiplier
[0m
The chain reaction multiplier is given becuase of the difficulty of setting
up lines right after the immediate drop. Basically, for each chain reaction,
the multiplier for the base value of the line (as given above) is increased
by .5x. Let's say you clear a 4-long diagonal line. That's 1000 points.
Then say after the pieces drop, a horizontal line (4-long) is formed. This
would normally be worth 500, but because of the chain reaction multiplier, it
is worth 750 points. If it was cleared on the 3rd chain reaction, it
would've been worth 1000 (500 x (1 + .5 + .5 [=2])).
[32;4mColors multiplier
[0m
This bonus is given based on the number of colors cleared on one drop. The
total points earned for clearing lines (including the chain reaction
multiplier) is multiplied by this bonus.
Colors Bonus
------ -----
1 1x
2 2x
3 3x
4 5x
So clearing all 4 colors at once can greatly increase your score (especially
if one of those lines was a 9-long diagonal!). The purpose of this bonus is
to reward the incredible foresight of good players. Also, it's a lot harder
to set up different colored lines on 1 drop than to get several lines of the
same color on one drop.
[32;4mLine bonus
[0m
This is a progressive bonus with a base value of 500. For every line cleared
after the first one on a single drop, this bonus is scored. So if you
cleared 3 lines, you get a total bonus of 1500 (500 + 1000).
[32;4mChain reaction bonus
[0m
This is a progressive bonus given for each chain reaction that happens on a
single drop. The base score, which is 1500, is reset after each drop.
[32;4mRound bonus (Arcade)
[0m
The Arcade Game round bonus is 2500 points x the round number, cumulative.
This is not cumulative just on that game, but instead the round bonus is
always the same for that round. Round 1 bonus would be 2500; round 2, 7500
(2500 + 5000); round 3, 15,000 (2500 + 5000 + 7500); round 15, 300,000; etc.
[32;4mRound bonus (Skill)
[0m
This is a lot easier. 10,000 points x the round number.
[32;4mEmpty bonus (Arcade, Skill)
[0m
This is a progressive bonus given at the end of a round. The base score is
based on the round number (it's higher for the Arcade Game), and it is given
for each and every empty square at the end of the round.
[32;4mOver bonus (Arcade)
[0m
This is given for going OVER the goal of the round (that is, clearing more
lines that required, etc.). For line rounds, you get 5000 points for each
extra line you cleared. For diagonal rounds, 10,000 points for each extra
diagonal line. For points rounds, the number of points you went over the
goal rounded DOWN to the closest 100 points, with a cap of 50,000 points.
There is no cap on any of the other rounds.
[32;4mBrick bonus (Arcade)
[0m
This bonus is for putting up with the hassle of bricks. For rounds with
starting brick configurations, each brick that was there is worth 200 points.
Any extra bricks that are added randomly are worth 5000 points. (If during
the game some bricks are "eaten," then you won't get credit for them. All
that matters is what's there at the end of the round.)
[32;4mPassword bonus (Skill)
[0m
This is a bonus given every time you get a password in the skill game. It is
a progressive bonus, with the first password you get being worth 1,000,000.
This is not for the level of password you get, it is for the number of
passwords you get. If you start at round 11 and get to round 21 (earning a
password) the bonus is only 1,000,000. If you had started at round 1 and
gotten to round 21, THEN the password bonus would be worth 2,000,000.
[32;4mEnd-of-game line bonus (Endurance)
[0m
Since the main purpose of the Endurance Game is to form lines, I needed to
put in a substantial bonus for getting a lot of lines in a game. The is a
progressive bonus given for every line made at the end of the game. The
base score is 100 points + 10 x the starting level. If you start at a fairly
high level (say 6 or 7) and get in the neighborhood of 150-160 lines, you'll
get at least a couple million bonus points.
[33m
Game display
============
[32;4mDemo mode
[0m
Demo mode was described above in "Starting the program." However, not
everything was discussed about it. The main menu is on the title page,
telling you how to start the game. Anytime you play a game and score more
than 0 points, the result of the last game is shown at the top of the title
page. It tells you what game was last played, how many points you got, and
how many lines were formed.
On the high score pages, your rank is listed in blue at the bottom of the 2
pages of the game you played. Also, if you made the top 100, your score is
highlighted by color flashing. The first place score is highlighted by a
flashing gray color.
[32;4mGame mode
[0m
The huge area on the left of the screen outlined in purple is the pit. On
the right, you'll see 2 or 3 status areas. The topmost area shows your total
game stats: Your score, the total number of lines and blocks you've cleared,
and the round (Arcade and Skill) or level (Endurance) you're currently on.
Right below that, the results of the last piece drop are shown. You see the
fall points, the number of colors cleared (it flashes if you cleared all 4
colors), the total value of the lines you cleared (including the color and
chain reaction multiplier), and any bonuses you might have received (the line
and chain reaction bonuses).
Under the last drop status, in the Arcade and Skill Games, you'll see the
goal for the current round. It will flash when you get within 10% of your
original goal or if there's just one of your goal left (and that's over 10%).
Finally, on the bottom of the right side, you'll see the next piece you'll
get. Note that if you clear a round, there are no guarantees that the next
piece will be the one that was last shown. To the right of the "Next,"
you'll see a number in parentheses. This number indicates what number piece
the next one is. (E.g. if the number is ( 120 ), then the next piece is the
120th piece you'll play.) This is reset at the start of each round but is
cumulative for the Endurance Game.
After a round is cleared, the goal display will change to a bonus breakdown.
The total bonus you've received is shown in the "Bonus" readout in the last
drop section.
[32;4mEnd-of-game screen
[0m
Here you see your total score, lines, and blocks cleared. The game will
determine your rank and display that as well. (If you didn't rank, it'll let
you know!) Any ties in score go to the person (people) who first got that
score. So if you tie 1st place, you'll get 2nd.
If you made the top 20 for the game you played, you'll get the chance to put
in your name (or anything else you want to say). The limit is 25 characters,
and this is shown by the underline placed on the screen right before the
cursor.
If you made one of the grand champion scores, you'll also get a chance to put
a quote or saying or whatever up to 40 characters long that'll be seen by
everyone who plays your copy of the game.
[33m
Keys and commands
=================
[32;4mDemo mode
[0m
During demo mode, there are several keys that will do something:
<space> - advance to the next page of the demo
a - start the Arcade Game
e - start the Endurance Game
s - start the Skill Game
q - quit Syzygy
CTRL-C - KILL THE PROGRAM (CAUTION!)
l-/|-A - send program to background (or bring it back up)
* These last 2 keys work ANYWHERE in the program.
Any other key returns the game to the title screen. Notice that you must
use left-amiga-a to toggle between WorkBench and Syzygy. The left-amiga-m or
left-amiga-n combination WILL NOT WORK, unless you are currently in WorkBench
or another WorkBench-launched program. No matter where you are, left-amiga-a
will bring Syzygy back to front (unless you start another AMOS-made program).
Notice that due to my foresight and because I'm such a nice guy, if you send
the program to the background in the middle of a game, it will AUTOMATICALLY
GO INTO PAUSE MODE! Neat, huh? This is in case some super-emergency comes
up elsewhere and you don't want to bother hitting <ESC> before hitting left-
amiga-a, such as your terminal program just got through to your favorite
board after wardialing for 45 minutes.
A word about using ctrl-c: This key will ALWAYS work, no matter WHERE you
are in the program. It is a hasty exit, and will just plain abort whatever
it was that you were doing. I strongly recommend just using the 'q' key from
demo mode to exit the program.
[32;4mGame mode
[0m
Moving the piece:
left - left-arrow or 4
right - right-arrow or 6
rotate - down-arrow or 5
speed-down - space or 2
<ESC> - pause the game (brings up a pause screen so you can't cheat!)
~ - abort the game (shift and the key to the left of the '1' key)
Please note that keymaps do NOT work with this game due to the nature of
AMOS. So if you have a foreign keyboard or something, you might have to hunt
for the correct keys. The worst one will probably be the tilde, which is why
I explained it in the list above.
Also, in case you try it, I'm telling you now that EITHER set of 4, 5, and 6
keys will move the piece, but ONLY the keypad '2' key will speed the piece
down. It was easiest for me to do it this way, so now you don't need go and
check my programming style. (I admit it; I was LAZY in this regard, but it
greatly speeds up the controlpiece routine, so it was best.)
BTW - The pause routine uses a multitask wait command in its loop, so the
CPU stress is very low (as viewed with PerfMon from 1.3, but it works under
KS/WB 2.04 as well).
[32;4mCheat keys
[0m
THERE ARE NO CHEAT KEYS!!! So don't even bother trying to find them. If you
don't believe me, fine, go and try it. There's no "special" passwords
either. (At least not yet.) If you want, buy the source code and look for
yourself.
[33m
Hints!
======
[0m
1. Play the Endurance Game to get the basic understanding of Syzygy.
2. 4-long vertical lines are the easiest to get; that's why they're worth
the least. Concentrate on getting lines OTHER than vertical lines.
3. Be sure to use the piece-splitting to your advantage. If you have a
spot for one certain color, remember you can rotate the piece and just
drop that one block down no matter where it is in the piece.
4. Keep in mind, though, that the block in the middle of a piece will NEVER
be able to drop by itself along the edges of the pit.
5. There is an EASY way (sort of) to set up 9-long diagonal or horizontal
lines. It involves using another line as a "catalyst" to set up a chain
reaction into a 9-long line.
6. In the Arcade Game, pay attention to the goal! Failure to do so will
result in a quickly-over game.
7. For line rounds, nothing really matters, but don't get too fancy or you
are sure to run out of room. For points rounds, a good idea is to try
to set up as many points as you can for one drop. And for diagonal
rounds, don't worry about making any other kind of line. Only set up
diagonals.
8. Remember that the bonus for a clear pit is much greater the more there
is. So try to complete your rounds earlier to maximize points.
9. When random elements come into play, clear lines as much as you can.
This greatly reduces the risk of something popping up and totally
screwing up what you worked on.
10. For the skill game, remember that each round you play will be the same
every time you play it, speed-wise and goal-wise. So you should try
your best effort, because it'll never get any easier.
11. For line rounds, the higher lengths are best made horizontally.
12. For block rounds, longer lines get the goal down much quicker.
13. For high-point drop rounds, get each drop as soon as you can. When the
pit starts getting filled, it gets much harder to set up high-point
drops.
14. For low-point drop rounds, keep in mind that these are kind of mini-
endurance rounds. Therefore, you should try playing like the Endurance
Game.
15. Play points rounds in the Skill Game as you would the Arcade Game.
16. Don't use wild blocks in major lines. The 1/2 base penalty is pretty
severe for a 9-long diagonal.
[33m
About AMOS
==========
[0m
AMOS is a wonderful addition to any programmer's collection. And because
it's BASIC, it's really easy to use as well. This game was written and
compiled with V1.34. This wouldn't be possible except that Europress or
whatever they're called now offers PD upgrades! Yes, every upgrade has been
public domain to this point. A truly great policy and they are to be
commended for it.
AMOS is a little strange in that it doesn't use the standard intuition
routines. So, as stated above, things like left-amiga-m and n won't work.
Also, keymaps don't work, and screen savers will really get screwed up. I
suggest that you TURN YOUR SCREEN SAVERS OFF before using this program. They
are SURE to go into action in the background while AMOS plows away. This can
lead to a lot of annoying flickering, especially when viewing the title
(pause) screen. I'm not sure why it's so bad with that screen (might have
something to do with the fact that it's a HAM mode picture), but if you see a
lot of flickering, it's because your screen saver is going on. If you quit
Syzygy while your screen saver is going in the background, you'll probably
see it going with the mouse pointer on the screen (this is because AMOS
refuses the screen saver's request to turn off sprites). Mostly, having the
screen saver on while the game is on is annoying.
At any rate, if you have an Amiga and are a programmer, get AMOS. It makes
things soooo much easier!
[33m
About the author
================
[0m
I am a student at Virginia Tech studying Computer Science (that's the reason
I have an Amiga). I am going into my Junior year. This is my first really
major intended-for-release programming project. For fun I am in the VA Tech
Marching Virginians, and I am a master pinball player. (Anyone else out
there broken 1,000,000,000 on the Addam's Family??)
One of the reasons the AMOS really appeals to me is because I have been a
BASIC programmer for a lot of my life (starting on an Apple //e about 9-10
years ago). I have learned C, just not specifically enough to do system
programming on the Amiga. C is kind of an awkward language, though, powerful
as it may be. Pascal is utterly useless, except I guess as a training
language. Assembly, obviously, is really powerful, but too much of a pain to
write an entire program like this in. (People usually don't even write
operating systems in assembly anymore!) BASIC nowadays has gotten a lot more
structured in the style of C and Pascal. A lot of people play it off, saying
that it is a dead language, that it serves no real purpose, etc. Well, let
this program be proof that BASIC will live on! Given a choice, I'd ALWAYS
write programs in BASIC. The only thing that BASIC lacks is structures. But
maybe someday...
Please let me at least know how you like the program and what I could do to
change it or make it better or whatever. One of my biggest goals in writing
this was to learn something from the process, and I won't be able to do that
as much if you don't give me feedback. The registration is secondary, but if
you play this game on a regular basis, please send me money. $10 is NOT that
much to you, but if just a few people send that money to me, then I'll be
much more motivated to bring you quality programs in the future. I hope that
you understand just how much effort it takes to write a program like this,
and how much attention I tried to pay to every little detail. I really do
think that the little things add up to a lot, from the 3-d relief look of the
board and the blocks to the 's' taken off of non-plural numbers. If you
think about it, "1 lines left" looks really rediculous. So please send in
money, and at LEAST let me know how you feel about the program.
[1m
Home address: School address:
[0m
Keith Johnson Keith Johnson
5404 Nuthatch Ct. 1711 Whipple Drive, Apt. 11
Warrenton, VA 22186-9127 Blacksburg, VA 24060
[1m
Internet address: PCRelay:
[0m
kjohnson@csugrad.cs.vt.edu Keith Johnson at The Cat's Meow (MEOW).
(I don't check this as often while I'm at
school, and please send to Amiga Conf.)