The documentation to Line Raiders Revision 01 03.08.97 by Mark Wherry mark_wherry@hotmail.com Contents ======== 1 Introduction 2 Installation And Suggested Requirements 3 Playing Guide 4 Contact Me 5 Legal 6 With Thanks To... 1 Introduction *************** The idea for this game came from another game created in QBasic, which I saw on a (Ah..hem) PC. After playing it with a few friends I thought, "Wouldn't this be nice on the Atari running in a clean GEM window..." So this my attempt. I don't really ever play games, mainly becuase I can't be bothered with all the hassles that it entails, eg. hard drive compatibility, switching back to TOS and lower resolutions..etc But I do enjoy, like most people, a multi-player game. Hence "Line Raiders", as it was named is a game that should work in all resolutions and all compatible operating systems. Infact, it was actually developed on MagiC5, but works fine with TOS as well! But what if you don't have multi-players? Well don't worry, there are computer players available...but don't expect miracles! The icing on the cake is of course, the sound effects! I've used SAM/ KP-SACK becuase I think they're brilliant and deserve supporting. It took me less than 15 minutes to get from a game which had no sound, to a fully working game with sounds, so if I can manage it... :-) I'd be interested to hear what you think of this program, so if you want to tell me how terrible it is, or perhaps if you liked it, why not tell me! I welcome criticism, suggestions, comments, and anything you have to say. If anyone could create some custom sounds for the game...that would be nice! Just contact me. Hope you have some fun... ;-) Mark Wherry 2 Installation And Suggested Requirements ****************************************** Line Raiders can run in any resolution (I Hope :-]), even ST-HIGH! However, the game is slightly easier to follow when there are 16 colours availiable. Line Raiders is compatible with all the modern system enhancements, eg. MagiC, NVDI, Freedom... and, if you have a machine/OS that supports DMA sound (STE/TT/FALCON/GEMULATOR) and you have the System Audio Manager v1.3+ installed, you can assign sound samples to the game as well! _Installation_ No formal installation is really needed, just copy the files where ever you wish. But, if you want to have DMA sound then here's how to set SAM up- you will need version 1.3 or higher (patched by Kosmic Phish Productions): ú Load the "SAM Setup" accessory and goto "Extras" and select "Configure" ú Click on "Install .SAA" and when the file selector appears select "LINERAID.SAA" which is enclosed in this distribution. ú Return to the main menu, and extra system events will now appear in the list. Assign these to samples in the usual way. I used the samples from the "SOUNDS.LZH" archive which should have come with SAM. It's available for download at the KP web site. My set-up is as follows: _System Event - Sound Sample_ "Line Collision" -- "Boom! Ooooh..." "Base Capture" -- "EXPLO HARD 08" "Start Game" -- "COUCOU 08" "End Game" -- "OUVRIR 08" "Next Level" -- "Attention" I also suggest changing the system keyclick...the original can really get on your nerves! Refer to the SAM-Documentation for more details. 3 Playing Guide **************** The above dialog appears when you first load "Line Raiders", and it allows you to configure how many human players will play in your game. There will always be 4 players, so if you select one player; there will be one human player and three computer players. In this example, the human player will be player one, and the computer players will be two, three, and four. Isn't that easy?! Basically select the number of human players you want, and computer players will make up the number to four. Once you are happy, click "Play Now" and the game will begin... The object of the game is simple! Move your line around the screen, avoiding obstacles and other players, and 'capture' other players bases. When you do this, that player is suspended from the current level. The last player left is the winner. The bases are colour coded with the players line colour; mono users, players always start off by their own base. If a player gets killed a small circle of their colour is left in memory! The winner also leaves a circle (briefly) which is double the size. You will die if: ú Another player captures your base. ú You capture your own base. ú You collide with another player. ú You hit an obstacle. ú You go back on yourself. eg. You are traveling forwards and you press backwards. There are 18 levels which are chosen at random, and at the end of each level a message appears to indicate which player is winning overall. And that's all there is to it... _Controls_ Player 1 = The cursor keys. Player 2 = The Numeric Key Pad. + Up - 9 + Down - 6 + Left - 1 + Right - 2 Player 3 = The left of the keyboard. + Up - q + Down - a + Left - z + Right - x Player 3 = The right of the keyboard. + Up - [ + Down - : + Left - < + Right - > If you click the mouse buttons within the game arena they have the following effect: Left = Speed game up. Right = Slow game down. _Scoring_ You get two points for being the last player, one point for capturing a base, and you loose a point if you get killed. ---------------------------------------------------------------------- *===! Special Move !===* If you are able to travel right beside another line, you are able to cross through it. However, as this is a difficult state to achieve, it is a gamble. The choice is yours... ;-) ---------------------------------------------------------------------- 4 Contact Me ************* If you have any suggestions, criticisms, want to beta test for me, registrations, or just want a chat; here's my address: Snail mail: 4 Fernpark Close, Topsham Road, Exeter, Devon, EX2 6AW Email: mark_wherry@hotmail.com 5 Legal ******** _Fairware_ As I've spent lots of time on this program, I've decided to release it with a FAIRWARE label. This means that if you like it, you should send me a fiver, as an incentive for me to continue development. I might even send you some more levels... I do hate this bit, but everyone else seems to do it these days, so... _Disclaimer_ The user uses this program at their own risk! I, or anyone mentioned in this document, are not responsible for any damages you may suffer through the use of the program. _Copyright_ This program (with it's associated files) and documentation are the copyright of Mark Wherry. You are not allowed to alter this distribution in any way. This version is exclusive to Atari Computing and must not be distributed anywhere else. 6 With Thanks To... ******************** There are a few people I'd like to thank in the production of this silly game :-) *Kosmic Phish*: For their great KP-SACK and patched version of SAM, which made adding sound a doddle! *Joe Connor*: For his advice on improving the original start up dialog... *Dirk Hagedorn*: For his excellent UDO6 system- I would never create documentation without it! *Martin Maisey*: For the brilliant FLDLIB floating dialog library for Lattice. *Peter Ford*: For writing the original QBasic which I, 'adapted' for the Atari! Also his cousin Greg, for rewriting the game in C for MS-DOS.