BALL ATTACK

1.A Short Description of the Game

Ball Attack is an Arkanoid-style game that merges the best features of its classic ancestor with fresh ideas and new twists.

Game Features:

unique original game look and feel;
easy-to-learn, non-violent and balanced gameplay;
rich high-color graphics;
easy-to-use mouse control;
translucency effects;
moving units;
composite blocks (groups);
level transformation;
special units: bonus-generator, teleport, distorter, etc;
bonus weapons: minigun, railgun, bomb;
mighty power-ups: laser-bomb, disintegrator, strikeball, fireball;
penalty items: speed-up, paddle shrinker, skull, defective clone;
free additional level sets;

2. System Requirements

Microsoft Windows 9x/ME/XP/2000(with SP2)

Celeron 366 MHz processor, equivalent or better

32MB RAM minimum

15MB of free hard drive space

DirectX-compatible video card with 2MB video memory

DirectX-compatible sound card

DirectX 2.0 or higher

You begin a game (or a level set) with three balls: a ball on the game field and two spare balls. Hit the ball with the paddle until all bricks are destroyed. If all balls slip from the game field, then a spare one is launched. If no spare balls are left, the game (or the level set) is over. You score points by destroying bricks, picking power-ups and completing levels. The High Scores table keeps track of the best scores for all completed levels in each level set.

Note 1.	Every single level set has its own statistics - a score table and a ball credit (number of spare balls) counter.
Note 2.	For each particular level set, you can suspend your games. You can resume them later, if you have ball credits left.
Note 3.	You can complete the same level set multiple times - either to improve your score or just for fun. ;)

4. Controls.

Mouse	Move the paddle left and right.
Left mouse button	Launch ball, bomb and fire weapons.
Esc	Pause game, Bring Up Menu Screens.
F1	Help.
F4	Options.

Note: There also are another hot keys assigned to different menu items.

5. Description of Units.

BRICK

Bricks are the most essential elements of any level. There are three kinds if bricks: single, double and triple. Two or more bricks can form a group. Damaging a grouped brick damages the entire group.

CORE

This is a special type of bricks. A CORE is immune to the usual ball while it's surrounded by other bricks. But it can be destroyed by a ball with the following power-ups: Disintegrator, Strikeball, Fireball or Mine Blast. A bonus weapon, such as Railgun or Bomb, will destroy a CORE, too.

REGENERATOR

This is a special type of CORE that can recover the bricks surrounding it.

MINE

This is a special type of brick. A MINE blast may destroy up to 50 bricks.

EXPLOSIVE BRICK

This is a special type of brick. Its explosion destroys adjacent bricks.

RAILBRICK

This is a special type of brick. It destroys units of all types, even if they're behind a WALL.

WALL

This is an indestructible unit.

SHADOW WALL

This is a special type of WALL. Being hit by a ball, it lets other balls come through for the next 10 seconds.

BONUS GENERATOR

This is a special unit. Being hit by a ball, it generates a bonus of a given type. It needs 30 seconds to recover from every hit.

TELEPORT

This is a special unit. It sends a ball from TELEPORT to TELEPORT. Teleports with the green centers act as entrances, with the red centers - as exits, and with the yellow centers - as entrances and exits at the same time.

DISTORTER

This is a special unit. It changes the ball trajectory. Distorters with the green center attract the ball and distorters with the red center push it away.

6. Description of Power-ups.

MEGABALL

It enlarges a ball and makes it more powerful for the next 25 seconds.

FIREBALL

It causes an explosion when hits a brick. The lifetime of this power-up is limited to three explosions.

DISINTEGRATOR

The ball destroys bricks of any types. The power-up lasts for 25 seconds.

STRIKEBALL

It lays its road through bricks of any types, destroying them. No brick deflects it. The power-up lasts for 15 seconds.

LASER BOMB

It transforms the ball into a laser bomb for 15 seconds.Laser bomb can be combined with STRIKEBALL that makes it more effective.

SPEED DOWN

Speeds all the balls down.

SPEED UP

Speeds all the balls up.

CLONE

Clones the ball. The result is two balls with identical characteristics, including power-ups.

DEFECTIVE CLONE

Clones the ball. The result is two balls with identical characteristics, including power-ups, but: one of the balls is defective - it vanishes in 10 seconds.