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THIS DOCS-FILE CONTAINS THE DOCUMENTS FOR THE FOLLOWING GAMES
QUADRIX...BRIDGE-BALL...ATTACKS...
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QUADRIX © Geoffrey Sparks 1991/92.
-----------------------------------
QUADRIX is Shareware. This demo version featuring 50 levels can be
freely distibuted as long as all files are included and no material is
altered in any way. A reasonable fee may be charged for copying in line
with the standard set by most PD libraries.
The game concept, graphics, code etc may not be altered or duplicated
in any way except as above.
WARNING: Quadrix is currently (Feb. 1992) PAL only. I make no claims
for its appearance on NTSC machines, (sorry).
OK.... So you've played the game and had a bit of fun. Well now
things get serious. For the princely sum of $20 Australian dollars,
( sort of like play money really! ), you can become a registered user
of QUADRIX. On receipt of your cash ( international money order, cheque
drawn on a bank with Australian offices etc. ) you will be rushed by
air-mail the very latest version of Quadrix... including...
1. 100 new and perplexing levels, taking off from where you should
have finished in the demo version.
2. A complete, easy to use level designer. Create new levels and
amaze your friends...( amaze yourself!! ). Good fun.
Full instructions included.
3. All the source code you could ever need. Thats right! The
complete, unexpurgated story of one puzzle game's struggle to
be born. Occassionally annotated, often amusing and
frequently revealing. Many hints and tips for using AMOS and
how to combine a bit of assembly language when needed. Over
35 pages in all - an offer too good to refuse.
4. Peace of mind. Well if you play the game a lot you should
really fork out the asking price.
5. Code word to allow the sub-game to be played as a separate
game.
6. Possible discounts on any other games I write - ( well I
havent actually got as far as a sequel yet - but if this
does well ... who knows.)
My address for all those who have read this far..
Geoffrey Sparks,
PO Box 395,
Castlemaine,
Victoria 3450,
Australia.
.....and the price $20 [Australian]
HISTORY.
Quadrix was originally conceived and written on the C64 a
couple of years ago, with a slightly different format and minus the
sub-game.
With the purchase of an Amiga and a copy of AMOS, along with
several technical manuals and a copy of the PD A68K assembler, work
started on upgrading to the 16 bit world. Along the way I learnt a lot
about the AMIGA, AMOS, 68000 machine code, Deluxe Paint, MED and
most of all memory management - getting Quadrix to run in 512K was
some task.
This version was completed around the beginning of 1992, about
6 months after deciding to re-write it for the AMIGA.
THANKS.
Many thanks to Jan Clark for loads of play testing and lots of
extra levels, as well as innumerable helpful suggestions and advice.
TECHNICAL STUFF.
Quadrix was written on an off the shelf, department store A500,
with a ram expansion card [ includes clock! ], and an extra floppy
drive, ( I hope this isn't too technical for you.). The language was AMOS,
compiled with the AMOS compiler. Machine code was written using MEmacs,
assembled with A68K, and linked with Blink.
No hard drives, cross-assemblers, accelerators, esoteric compilers,
IBM's, MAC's, Amiga 3000's, Devpacs, Lattices or trick photography was
used at any point.
QUADRIX
Getting Started.
Place Quadrix disk in drive df0: and reboot. Game will
automatically load and run.
Warning: Quadrix is PAL only.
Basic Gameplay.
To complete each level a set variety of tasks must be
completed within a specified time limit. A the start of each level details
of what tasks are to be attempted are given. Read These Carefully!! The
game itself is played on a square playfield with a variety of coloured
blocks entering sequentially from each of the four directions. Similar
coloured blocks can be stacked in various patterns to complete each level's
various tasks. In addition there are a variety of Special blocks that have
peculiar and useful properties. Understanding these special blocks and the
effect they have is essential to completing most levels of Quadrix.
Controls.
Virtually all control is through the joystick. Use the
firebutton to make selections, exit screens etc. Passwords and highscores
are entered with the joystick also.
The central playfield of Quadrix can be scrolled in all directions using
the joystick. There is no limit to scrolling in any direction as the
playfield 'wraps around', blocks leaving from one side appear on the
opposite edge.
The firebutton is used to 'speed up' the entry of external or 'moving'
blocks into the playfield. Most levels will require frequent use of the
firebutton to complete the required tasks in the set time.
In addtion the left mouse button activates a "Time Out" and the right
button quits to the Game Over sequence.
Helpful Stuff.
A detailed list of all the blocks and their properties
is given later. To help identify the blocks, the third loading screen shows
each block in turn and gives it's name. Please study these carefully as
full awareness of the properties of each block is critical to success in
Quadrix. As a further aid, the password "HELPZ" can be entered on the
password screen to bring up a short demo sequence. This shows the various
patterns, their value and the symbol they are represented by. Press fire
to move through the screens.
Some Basic Principles.
1. When two blocks of the same type collide they destroy each
other.
2. Blocks wait a short time before moving in of their own accord.
3. Some levels have restricted movement,either left/right only
or up/down only. The information window for each level will
have a footnote listing any restrictions.
4. Some levels are PUSH levels. In these a special incoming
block appears which has the power to move any block it makes
contact with. Please note that the incoming block will not
start to move of its own account, but must be "fired" in with
the joystick button.
5. All patterns excepting Horizontals and Verticals must be
brought to a central position before they are activated.
6. A pattern can be formed from ANY block.
7. The speed at which the timer runs down depends on the colour
with which it is filled.
The Blocks.
1. The SUN One of the principle blocks. Can be transformed into
Death.
2. TIME Another principle block. Is transformable into Birth.
3. The EARTH The third principle block. Transforms into The Heavens.
4. The HEAVENS The fourth principle block and the first with Special
properties. When struck by a moving block Heaven expands
at right angles to the direction of impact, filling
every available space with a copy of the impacting block.
Can be transformed into The Earth.
5. BIRTH The fifth principle block. When struck by a moving block
Birth will fill each adjacent empty space with a replica
of the impacting block. Can be transformed into Time.
6. DEATH The last of the principle blocks. When struck by a
moving block Death is destroyed along with all adjacent
blocks. May be transformed into The Sun.
7. TRANSFORMATION The block of transmutation. When struck by a moving block
ALL blocks of a similar kind on the screen will be
transformed into their alter ego....for example, if
The Sun strikes Transformation, all blocks of the Sun
type currently on screen will switch to Death!! In
addition to appearing on the playfield at the beginning
of a level, Transformation can also be created by
completing any of the major patterns...that is a
Diamond, a Cross, a Ring or a Grand Diagonal. As these
patterns disappear, Transformation is created in the
central square of the playfield.
8. The IMMOVABLE Cannot be pushed.
9. The VOID. The first of two "occassionally active" blocks. This
block remains inert till centered within the playfield.
When activated by crossing the central square it destroys
every adjacent block. A small blue marker appears over
the central square when this block is present.
10. CONVERSION Second of the two "occassionally active" blocks. Inert
till centered, when active it infects every adjacent
occupied block with a copy of itself. A small blue
marker appears to highlight the central square.
PASSWORD.
A new password is given after each tenth level.
SCORING.
Apart from the points for each pattern completed a time bonus is
given for any remaining time at the end of each level.
BONUS GAME.....
After completeing each tenth level a bonus level appears in
which extra lives can be won. This is a simple puzzle game of the
falling block type in which random blocks appear at the top left of
the screen and gradually descend in a zig-zag pattern. Pressing the
firebutton causes the foremost or "leadblock" to rapidly fall into
place below. If three blocks form a horizontal vertical or diagonal
pattern, that group disappear and any blocks above drop down to fill
the gap. The game ends when the play area is full and no more blocks
can enter. Scoring is as follows..
Vertical 50 Points
Horizontal 150 Points
Diagonal 300 Points
For multiple drops, that is where one drop sets off another, the
scoreing becomes proportionally greater for each successive drop.
For each score of 10000 points an extra life is awarded. A maximum of
nine lives may be held at any one time.
When the bonus game first starts the play area is randomly half-filled
with blocks, any patterns created will disappear and be credited to the
score.
Helpful Hints.
**************
Read the instructions several times and familiarise yourself with the
various blocks and their various powers. Most levels can be completed
using the various special blocks, either as they appear on each level or
by transforming other blocks into the required block
Use the firebutton to speed up the action, otherwise time will run out
all too quickly.
Carefully note what tasks are required on the info screen and how
many patterns of each type must be completed.
Also note whether movement is limited to only one direction.
All levels CAN be completed within the allowed time...it may just take
some thinking about.
When playing the sub-game please note that multiple drops score much
higher than single drops. If you set up patterns that set off chain
reactions your score will be much better.
Good Luck.
Helpful Hints.
**************
Read the instructions several times and familiarise yourself with the
various blocks and their various powers. Most levels can be completed
using the various special blocks, either as they appear on each level or
by transforming other blocks into the required block
Use the firebutton to speed up the action, otherwise time will run out
all too quickly.
Carefully note what tasks are required on the info screen and how
many patterns of each type must be completed.
Also note whether movement is limited to only one direction.
All levels CAN be completed within the allowed time...it may just take
some thinking about.
When playing the sub-game please note that multiple drops score much
higher than single drops. If you set up patterns that set off chain
reactions your score will be much better.
Good Luck.
---------------------------------------------------
END OF QUADRIX DOCS.
---------------------------------------------------
Bridge Ball by Rod Mack © 1991
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ ~~~~~~
Bridge Ball is a rather uninspired name for a fast addictive
puzzle game that requires quick thinking and even quicker
actions.
The game consists of a number of pipes and platforms dotted
around above some water and somewhere to the right, a piece
of dry land. As the game begins, a ball will fall from the
left towards the water, but will travel horizontally from
left to right when it is in a pipe or on a platform.
The Objective
~~~~~~~~~~~~~
The objective of the game is to move the pipes and platforms
into the path of the ball so that it can be carried safely
across the water and dropped onto dry land. If the ball falls
into the water then the game is up.
The Control
~~~~~~~~~~~
The pipes and platforms are moved in the same way as an icon
on the workbench, i.e. when the cursor is placed over the
object and the left mouse button is held, the object can be
moved. When you wish to place the object you simply release
the left mouse button.
Playing Bridge Ball
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Bridge Ball must be loaded from the CLI and is completely
mouse controlled.
All pipes and platforms can only be picked up and moved a
certain number of times, and this varies for different objects
on different levels. When you are holding an object the cursor
will change to a number which represents the remaining number
of times the object can be picked up and moved.
If you try to pick up an object which has no more uses
remaining, a buzz sound will be heard. Some objects start with
no uses available and in this case it is up to you to build a
bridge which will make use of them, otherwise there may not be
enough pipes and platforms to carry the ball to dry land.
The ball will not travel on a pipe or platform which you are
currently holding and likewise, you can't pick up a pipe or
platform which the ball is currently on.
When the game is over, there is a ten count continue option
which will allow you to restart on the level you were on. The
left mouse button restarts the game.
Your score is mainly geared to how far you progress, but making
use of the fixed pipes will help to boost your score a little.
The first level is very simple and should make all of the above
a lot clearer to you. It will also get you used to how the pipes
and platforms should be connected together.
** Warning ** Bridge Ball can be immensely frustrating -
especially the faster levels. If you find
yourself getting into a state, DO NOT hit
your keyboard, throw your mouse or thump
your monitor. DO take a deep breath, count
to ten and start again.
Note that if you count to more than ten you will be starting
again from level 1.
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END OF BRIDGE-BALL.DOC
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TTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTT
T
A TTTTTTTTTTTT A CCCCC K K SSSSSSS
A A T T A A C K K S S
A A T T A A C KK SS
AAAAAAA T T AAAAAAA C K K SSS
A A T T A A C K K SS
A A T T A A CCCCC K K S
SS
SSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSS
Modeled after the arcade game called Ataxx, it's a new strategy
game for the Amiga world. I'm pretty sure I have all the kinks worked
out. Hope you all like it. But what you all want to know is how to
play.
HOW TO PLAY
-----------
Attacks is a strategy game played by two, one, or no players on
a seven by seven grid. Some of the squares of the grid are empty,
some have barriers, and some are occupied by either of the two playing
sides.
A move is accomplished by selecting a piece of your color
(indicated by the color of the mouse), dragging it to an empty
location, and then releasing the mouse button. This should be a
maneuver that you are all very familiar with. If not, I suggest
reading the manual that came with your Amiga, unless you've thrown it
out already.
An empty square is simply a square that is not occupied
by a block square (shaded dark grey) or a circular piece of either
color. Simply put, an empty square is drawn as a plain light grey
square.
There are two types of moves: GROW and JUMP. If the destination
square is adjacent to the starting square of a move, then the move is
a GROW. In this CASE, a new piece of the player's color is put in the
destination square. A JUMP is when the move goes two squares away
from the starting square. Here, the piece is removed from its
original location and placed in the destination square. These are the
only allowable moves. You cannot move more than two spaces away.
IMPORTANT!
The results of a move are what makes Attacks the game that it is.
Every opposing piece that is adjacent to the destination of a move (be
it a GROW or a JUMP) is changed to the color of the player that made
the move. You'll probably notice that this changes the face of the
game dramatically.
Also, if you're trying to save precious memory by skimping on the
stack, think again. This program needs about 10000 bytes of stack
space to run properly in every mode. So go ahead and beef up your
stack. Your mom would be proud of you.
WINNING
-------
The winner is simply the person with the most squares occupied
with their color at the end of the game. The game is concluded when
either all the empty squares are filled or only one color is remaining.
MENU OPTIONS
------------
Like most things, this program has options. There is most
everything that I wanted implemented, but the menus may not be crystal
clear upon first glance. So here are the gory details about what they
do (at least what they are supposed to do). Like similar keyboard
shortcuts on other programs, using the right Amiga button in
conjunction with the letter indicated in the menu selection will allow
you to do the menu selection with the keyboard only. Only the
indicated menu selections have shortcuts.
Project It seems like every program has a menu column labeled
------- "Project". So why shouldn't I?
New Game
--------
This tells the program that you are done with the current game.
The program responds by drawing a new board randomly selected from an
internal list and setting up a new game.
Edit Board
----------
So, you don't like the boards that I have, hunh? Well, here's
your chance to go ahead and make the perfect setup for yourself.
Interestingly, the game changes dramatically with different board
setups. Experiment to your heart's desire. During editing, the menus
change. This new menu strip is explained later in the Editing
section.
About
-----
This is the obligatory self-glorification part of the program.
It'll show you an address where I can be reached in case you win the
lottery and care to share your wealth. Simply click the left mouse
button to continue on your merry way.
Quit
----
If you don't know what this means, you probably don't know how to
turn your computer on either.
Commands In trouble? or just curious about what's happening? Check
-------- out this menu column. Important: whenever you Backup or
Redo, the program disables the computer's ability to make
moves. This is done so that you can take your time while
looking at the effects of the help functions. Once you
make a move with your mouse or force the computer to move,
the computer will assume that you are done with the help
and will continue to play as usual.
Backup A Move
-------------
When this menu item is selected, the game reverts to the previous
state. That is (in most cases) the last move is undone, and it is now
the previous player's turn to move. This can be done all the way back
to the beginning of the game, but not back to previous games.
Redo A Move
-----------
You backed up a move, but change your mind? No problem. Attacks
remembers not only all the moves you made in the past, but also all
the moves you made in the future, if that makes any sense. What it
means is that moves that were backed up may also be replayed.
However, if you back up some moves and then start playing, you no
longer have those moves that you backed up. Aaah, it's really easier
to do than it is to explain. Just fool around with these two options
until you get the feel of it. Incidentally, it is often instructive
to Backup and then Redo an entire game.
Force Computer to move
----------------------
This allows you to let the computer take over for just this one
turn. It also tells the program that you are through backing up and
redoing moves. Please note that if you back up some moves and then
choose this option, you will no longer be able to "Redo" the moves you
backed up.
Options These are the parameters that you can modify to affect
------- how the game is played. Note that when a new game is
started, the settings in this menu column are not changed.
Red is Human <- Default
Red is Computer
Blue is Human
Blue is Computer <- Default
----------------
These tell Attacks how many players you want. The sides which
aren't played by humans (who must all use the regular mouse--yep, you
have to share) are automatically tackled by the computer. The check
marks indicate what the current settings are. The default is Red (who
usually plays first) is Human, and Blue is played by the Computer.
Since most people who have computers are lonely geeks who aren't too
bright, I figured that this is the most popular configuation. (Moving
first is typically, but not always an advantage.)
Tries to Lose
Easy
Kinda' Good <- Default
Good
Very Good
-----------
Here you find the difficulty level at which the computer will play.
The first one means that the computer will play to lose (but it's not
terribly bright about it). The other settings are pretty explanatory,
but you should know that the brighter the computer gets, the longer
it takes to think through its moves. The levels beyond Very Good take
so long that I have not even bothered to allow them as options. As
you know, the difficulty is a combinatoric explosion, or Order(n!).
WHILE THE COMPUTER IS THINKING
------------------------------
Well, your options are limited. All you really can do is abort the
computer's thinking. It then stops playing, allowing you to move for
it, back up and redo, and of course you can always force the computer
to move again. This is a life-saver if you set the game to the bizarre
setting of computer vs. computer and they are both playing to lose.
At the lower levels, the computer generally moves so fast that you
won't have time to access the menus, but it's here and it works
nevertheless.
EDITING
-------
So, you want to venture out and play god with my program, eh?
Great! I was hoping you'd get the nerve to try it. The cursor should
help you figure out which kind of square you are currently building.
to change a square, simply click with the left mouse button while the
mouse is above the square to change. The Square menu column allows
you to change the current square type. You options are an empty
square, a block square, and a square occupied by the red player or a
blue player.
While in the Edit mode, the menu bar changes. Here are the
descriptions of the new menu selections. One final note: while in
the Edit mode, you cannot access any of the regular menu selections.
in other words, the "hot keys" don't work when editing.
Project Exactly what does "Project" mean anyway?
-------
Exit Edit Mode
--------------
Does what it says it does. Play resumes as normal on the board
as it looks when this item is selected.
Player This allows you to change whose turn it is to move. The
------ checkmark and the message above the playfield indicate
who is currently about to play.
Red to move
Blue to move
------------
Build Here you can change which kind of square you are making.
----- The menu shows a check mark and the mouse cursor alters
to display which kind of square has been selected. To
then alter the board, simply click on the desired
location.
Empty <- Default. Makes an empty location.
Block Draws an impassable block.
Red Puts a red player at the location.
Blue Same for blue.
-----
Major As it turns out, there are some useful editing features
----- that are a pain to do. This provides some shortcuts and
an easy way for you to change your mind.
Cancel All
----------
Ahh, isn't life easier when you can so simply change your mind?
Selecting this menu option reverts the board to exactly the way it was
when you started editing.
All Empty
---------
Not particularly intuitive, but I was running out of space in the
menus. What this does is it clears the entire board, making every
space an empty space. This is very useful for creating a brand new
board to play on.
All Blocks
----------
Similar to All Empty, this makes every square on the board a
block square. I find this menu selection surprisingly useful.
&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&
Okay, here's the boring stuff. You should be thankful that I put
it way back at the end so you don't have to wade through this muck
like you do in most documentations.
First, and most importantly, this program is public domain. It's
my gift to you the Amiga community. I don't care if the source code
is distributed or not, since most people don't want it anyway. But if
you'd like to see the code for whatever reason and don't have it with
your copy of the program, drop me a note. I can be found at locations
listed at the end of this document.
It'd be damn shitty if someone decided to charge $$ for this
program. It's FREE! Get it? I'd prefer if public domain distributors
and bulletin boards wouldn't charge anything for distributing this
software, but I really shouldn't complain about very minor fees to
recoup media costs (but I don't have to like it though).
Next, I'd like to thank Chris Mlsna for doing all the grunt work
for the menus. Jennifer Comeau should also be given a big hug for
putting up with me while I've been working on this big waste of time.
This program took me about a hundred hours or so to do. It was
programmed in Modula-2, using the Benchmark compiler by Leon Frenkel
(Avant Garde Software). I use an Amiga 500 with a hard drive and
some extra memory. I also run just about everything in Workbench 1.2
using various versions of the Amiga Replacement Project (ARP) that I
find lying around. I don't access anything in any funny ways, so
there should be no compatability problems, but who knows? I'll be
damned if I'm gonna stick my neck out and say it's guaranteed to work
on every machine in the world.
If there are some bugs that you've just gotta have fixed, or if
your just want to correspond, or if YOU'VE GOT A JOB TO OFFER, I can
be reached at the following locations:
biggs@cs.utexas.edu
6313 Walnut Hills
Austin, TX 78723
Wallingford Electronics BBS
(512) 452-0955
I'm user number 39
Well, that's about it. Maybe we'll run into each other. Maybe not.
So it goes.
Scott Biggs
aka Mighty Dog