Wazzal Readme Version 1.2 freeware Copyright 2002 Ville Mönkkönen

Introduction

Wazzal is a quality freeware single player space privateering game. The game starts when you capture a ship to become an interplanetary pirate. The idea is to fly your ships in our solar system and accomplish missions while gathering a fleet of ships to fight bigger foes. Wazzal features an ingenious plot and beautiful 3d-graphics to ensure a premium gaming experience.

Wazzal is a game; it is not a piece of art. So when playing it, remember that you are just playing it, you are not viewing fine art. However, if you would like to see some art, you should look up my fantasy art gallery at the address http://elfwood.lysator.liu.se/loth/v/i/villemon.

The planets you find in this game are the actual planets of our very own solar system. Most distances and sizes in this game are not scientifically accurate, they have been slightly altered for balancing purposes. In addition, some planets have not yet been photographed with very high definition, therefore some planet textures, like Neptune, are completely fictional. And notice, that in real life, most moons are actually quite different from each other. So don't take this game as an astronomy lesson ;)

I've been working long and hard to make this game the best game I've ever made, and it looks like the hours put in Wazzal are finally paying off. The fact that you have taken time to download Wazzal proves my point. Have fun playing!

New in version 1.2

• For people who had problems with game slowing due to point sprites, this is fixed.
• Fixed most mouse cursor problems
• Improved installer
• Changed the name of the game (again!) due to trademark reasons. Previous was Stars - Supernova.

New in version 1.1

• Ship capturing is automatic in easy mode. This should make the game easier for beginners who have trouble capturing ships.
• Included an installer
• Fixed minor technical problems
• Added suffix - Supernova to the name of the game

Installing & Requirements

To begin the game:

1. Run 3Dsetup.exe to setup your 3d-hardware. In 3dsetup please select Hardware Acceleration. This is automatically executed at the time you install the game.
2. Run Wazzal.exe.

Wazzal doesn't install any files in your computers windows directory, nor does it use the registry. You may use the included unistaller to uninstall the program.

Wazzal requires that you have a Direct3D compatible 3d-accelerator with DirectX 8.0 or better installed on a Windows.

Additional requirements include: 300 mhz CPU, 64MB RAM, sound card is recommended.

Controls:

Keys are configurable, but these are the factory defaults.

Playing

Starting
The game starts when you are flying your ship in orbit around Pluto. When you fly your ship near enough to it, you land on the planet. There you meet with a merchant who gives you a mission, you must go meet his contact on some other planet. After the conversation, you can check which planet you were supposed to go to by pressing the mission log key (space). You can find out where the planet is and where you are by pressing the map key (enter). The map shows only the planets, not the moons. When you don't know what to do, you can press F1 to get information on the current screen.

Saving
You can save your game only by pressing escape in the solar system mode (where you fly your ship from one planet to another) and selecting Save Game in the game menu. Saving during combat or dialog is not possible. However, loading is possible.

Random encounters
While flying around you may see other ships, some of them may even chase you. You can meet with the ship by flying very close to it. The types of ships you see depend on your experience playing the game. The more experienced you are, the bigger random foes you face. Typically you are presented with a choice to either kill the encountered ship, possibly trade with it, or leave it alone. Every ship you destroy gives you loot: slaves, contraband goods, illegal weapons, fuel and money.

Fighting
When you find yourself in combat with enemies, you usually want to destroy your enemies and not get yourself killed in the process. Your fleet attempts to destroy the enemy ships before they destroy you. You control one of your ships while the computer controls all the others - both enemy ships and your own ships. The number under each ship represents its health. If the ship's health runs low enough, it has a chance of being disabled. Ships marked green are your ships, and the red ones are your enemy. You have a radar in the lower right corner of the display, as well as your heat meter. It increases when you fire your weapons, and decreases over time. If the meter reaches 100, your ship overheats and you cannot fire until all the heat has dissipated. If you emerge from combat victorious, you have a chance to capture one of the disabled vessels.

Planets
When you visit a planet you have three choices, you can leave, visit the spaceport, or attack the planet. Attacking planets is very dangerous, but rewarding. If you manage to defeat the defences, you get a sizable loot. If you visit the spaceport, you can get a random mission, buy fuel, sell goods, or repair/sell your ships. The prices are different on each planet, so it may be a good idea to sell stuff only when you get a good price. Repairing ships is very important, as damaged ships have a chance of being destroyed in combat. When you want to sell your ship, the price is bigger for better ships in better condition. You cannot sell your last ship. Also, remember to have a good supply of fuel, since if you run out of it, you cannot fly in space.

Tips

• If you don't remember where to go, press the mission log key (space).
• Preserve fuel in the solar system mode by switching to the fastest ship you've got (3).
• Consider setting all the weapons under one key. Then you don't have to press two times, but one. This may also help if your keyboard beeps.
• There are no cheats to Wazzal, but you can edit the save files.
• You can press the plus or the minus key to see the frame rate.
• If you find the game too hard, you can set the Easy Mode in options. It lessens the damage you receive and increases the damage your opponents receive.

FAQ

• After starting Wazzal.exe the game jumps right back to windows. What's wrong?
  -Have you run 3Dsetup correctly? Try using different settings. Do you have at least DirectX 8.0? Setting the music off with 3Dsetup might help. Remember that you must have a 3d-accelerator to run Wazzal.

• The game slows down sometimes, especially when turning.
  -Set the particles off in the game options, this might also improve performance.

• When changing keys there are only numbers listed. Why can't I see the key's names?
  -The numbers are key codes. They are only intended to notify you that the key has actually been changed. (Well, I could make them names, but where's the fun in that?)

• The particles from explosions and ships blink. What's wrong?
  -This is likely a problem with your video drivers, consider updating them.

• The game says that a DLL is missing or the game just generally complains about them.
  -Make sure you have the latest DirectX and that all your drivers are in working order.

• How do I tell you of a bug?
  -When you mail me, list your: graphics adapter, operating system, DirectX version, memory, processor, game version, and most importantly tell me how to reproduce the bug. I get a lot of mails stating simply that the game doesn't work, please be more specific than that.

Legal

I, Ville Mönkkönen, cannot be held responsible for any damage this product may cause. Hopefully it will cause none, but there are no guarantees.

This game is freeware. All the standard freeware limitations apply to this game also: You may make copies, and distribute this game freely, as long as the game is not modified in any way. You may distribute this game on magazine cover CDs, collections, and such. You are encouraged to put this game on the front page of any web page you may own.

This game is completely free, you don't have to pay anyone anything to be able to play it. However, if you feel like contributing a considerable sum of money, please feel free to contact me ;)

Credits & Contacting

Programming, graphics, music, that sort of thing: Ville Mönkkönen.
For some images, thanks to NASA.

E-mail:bikez@mbnet.fi
Please write in English. Mail me if you have a bug, a suggestion to the game, want to compliment me, or just have something on your mind. Though I've tried to fine-tune the game to optimum, feedback is always very welcome. (Please read the FAQ section before mailing a bug)

Homepage:www.mbnet.fi/~bikez
These pages contain possible updates to the game and other games produced by me.

List of contributors

All over the world there are great people who have selflessly offered me help in creating this game. Here's the list in alphabetical order:

Lajos Krisztián Bódis
Rodrigo Garcia D'Aurea
Hannu Heikkinen
Risto Ihalainen
Miika Kankare
Mikko Mönkkönen
Klaas Waslander

Copyright 2002 Ville Mönkkönen