17 Bit Software 2: Collection B/17Bit_Collection_B.iso/files/2060.dms/in.adf/documentation

Text File | 1992-06-25 | 11.5 KB | 257 lines

This Disk - If in original state contains:
Example of what the compiler can do.
Level Designer
Level Tester
Example levels

Use a different disk to save your levels under!

--> Goto bottom to find out how to obtain the full version...

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                           Escape 2

                  The complete documentation


Copyright notices
-----------------

I (Mark Page) hold the copyright of this program.
You are allowed to spread this documentation, the level designer, the level
tester, and the program which runs the compiled game, in the public domain
YOU MUST NOT SPREAD THE COMPILER PROGRAM. But you are allowed to backup the
program for your OWN USE ONLY.
You must not sell any of the programs attached to Escape 2, without my
written permission.
I am not in any way held responsible for lost data etc from using these
programs, but do feel free to ask for advice.

Files and what they do
----------------------
(Filenames may of been changed)

Design - The level designer.
Gameleveltester  - The level designer level tester.
Compiler - The compiler, which fits all the levels together etc (COPYRIGHTED)
Escape 2 - Runs the compiled game, this should be held in the C directory

Details of: Design
------------------

Load this program up as usual, you will see a black screen with a notice to
the left hamd side saying "Place tile". This is the "EDITOR SCREEN". Press
the right mouse button and a new screen will appear. This is the "OPTION
SCREEN".

Have a good look at the option screen. You should see the choice of tiles
allowed and some options.
At the bottom of the option screen is a horizontal bar with raster time
written above it. When you place any tiles onto the editor screen with
animation, this bar will fill up. This tells you how much the computer
is working (Every vertical blank interupt - 50 Hertz). If it gets totally
full up, a warning box will light, this tells you that the game will jerk.
To solve this kill some animations.
I can not describe what the tiles do, you will have to test them yourself -
sorry. I just can say that if you place a falling tile, exits's and doors you
can activate them using the switch tile. To use the switch tile, place it on
the editor screen and a notice on the left hand side of the screen will say
"Change which square?", now move the mouse and click on the square you want
to change. One last thing about tiles, there is a teleport tile, where you
can jump to a differant part of the screen. To use this place it on the
editor screen and on the left hand side of the screen, a notice witth appear
saying "teleport to?", now click where you want to teleport to.

Animation tiles that can be activated with switch:

Horizontal Door V1 and V2
Vertical Door V1 and V2
Falling Tile (Cracked floor) V1 and V2
Exit up, down, left and right (Top left of option screen)

Other Animation tiles:

Extralife (3 Types)
Teleport (Tile with a square inside)
Bonus Tile (2 Types)
Disk (Does not do anything)
The rest should be obvious - try them!

Other options on the option screen:
Save level - Easy enough to use
Load level - Easy enough to use
Set man - Sets the mans starting position, when you click on this, you
will be asked to place the mans position using your mouse.
Set time - The time limit for the game - if not sure set to 100
Set bad - Sets the enemy position. You are required to set how easily the
enemy is to kill you (Just fill in the options)
Set Ball - You are asked to type in the left/right,up/down start and finish
of the ball. Then you are asked the direction you want the ball to go in and
the colour of the ball. For example
 Start Left/Right pos : 100
 Start Up/Down pos: 50
 End Left/Right pos: 200
 End Up/Down pos: 50
Now you are asked for the direction (Right). THE END POSITION MUST BE
POSSIBLE.
For example:
 Start Left/Right pos : 100
 Start Up/Down pos: 70
 End Left/Right pos: 200
 End Up/Down pos: 80
Is impossible!!!
Set Music - This is only used for the rastor time test
Set Mouse - Gives you a "autofire" option for the Editor screen!
Clear screen - Watch out, the computer does NOT ask if you are sure.
To Exit press the firebutton with your joystick in port 2
Advice - When saving files save as level1,level2,...,level344 etc this will
let you use the wildcard system on the compiler.

If you try to switch an animation eg. extralife, and squashing wall you
will stop the animation - useful , you can use it to get past it. Try it

Details - Gameleveltester

This is the gametester made by the level designer program. Just type in the
level filename. Play with joystick in port 2, left mouse button to exit.

Details - Compiler

This is such a user friendly program, instructions are not really required.
Except for the scrolly - use notepad word processor or similar to type it in.
The music can be made on startracker or compatible (Noisetracker, MED with
save as st-module option). It can also be made by startrekker.NT chip music
files. Quick summary:
The compiler lets you:
1. Load the files in individually or Load the files in automatically using a
"wildcard" system (easy to use!)
2. Load in your ASCII text scrolly.
3. Lets you choose your module pieces
The program needs the ARP library in the Libs dir (is supplied)

Details - Escape2

This runs the compiled program. To operate:
Place this file in the main c: directory of the disk. (Should be already
there).
From Workbench
Click into the icon made by the compiler, this will automatically load the
escape files + the escape2 file.
To change where the computer searches for the escape2 file, use the
workbench's info command. (See manual for more details)
From Cli - Version 1
1> Escape2 df1:subdirectory/    ; this will run the data in this directory
1> Escape2 df0:                 ;  this will run the data in df0:
From Cli - Version 2
1> df1:game/Escape2  ;this will run the data in the directory it was
                     ;called from (df1:game/)
In actual game: Left mouse button looses a life. Bonuses and extra lifes
only come into effect after you have completed a level.

Advice - etc
------------

Use a backup version of this disk
Use a new blank formatted disk to save the levels under
You need standard knowledge of the amiga (can use the workbench), I think you
can do this, or how did you read this file! Also CLI
I tried to make the program very user friendly, but there may be some bugs
left, If you find some please tell me.


Technical info
--------------

The Source code size is 190K long.
There are around 200 include files for tiles.
The tiles are in 16 colours
The man is NOT a sprite (also the enemy man + ball is not)
Details of the game file: (Escape2 + gameleveltester) roughly:
 Chip memory needed: 214K Public memory needed: 39K Total needed: 253K

History
-------

On July the 1st 1991 Dan decided to make a game, I agreed with him, so Escape
was born. I was working on Escape for 2 weeks when I clicked on save instead
of load on the assembler, so I lost everything. I started again, I now always
have a backup of escape (I have now around 6 backups). I learnt my leason -
always make backups of your code! At the end of July I had the basic code
written, but I took literally 2 Hours to make one level by hand, so I made
a level designer. In the middle of August dan changed the entire graphics for
escape so I spent 30 hours refixing all the graphics into a special format.
On September 10th 1991 I released Escape V1.0. In two weeks Legend (A group
of people) made a cheat mode for it, therefore spoiling the game. So I
quickly sent Escape to public domain libraries before they got the cheated
version. I had a rest for a few weeks, then I went really depressed because
I did not  hear anything of Escape, so I decided to give a computer magazine
the complete source code. I started working on it, debugging it. A week
later I decided  not to, but instead write a sequal. So I got Leonardo to
do some tiles for it. I was lazy until the christmas hols, when I started
again, working 16 Hours a day at Escape, fixing the level designer so I was
spreadable, making a compiler, inserting new blocks, adding an enemy man
option and fixing a LOT of bugs. Then after christmas, my A level exams
started, I had no time at EscapeV2, until now when I fixed the last bug in
EscapeV2, and writing this documentation. Later on I am expecting more tiles
from Leonardo... It is now the 15th Febrary 1992, I have put in a lot more
tiles and made it workbench compatible. Last week I found a very serious bug
(which also was in escape version 1), in some parts of my source code I had
move.w d0,a0 instead of move.l d0,a0 which means that if a 30K program is
already in memory before escape is run, the tiles are not displayed properly.
Well mistakes do happen. It is now late february. I have finally made an
intro. Ready to release. Almost - bug with the startup-sequence with the
amiga 500 plus, I fixed this by killing the startup-sequence except loadwb,
endcli. So to see the intro type in the filename "intro loader" when you
are in Shell. So the release date is now March 10th 1992. At last!!!! It
is now Thursday 28th May 1992. I have just spend 2 days getting this version
of Escape finished. This gameleveltester has been shortened, there is no
title screen any more, I did not think it was necessary to have one. I have
changed the Font displaying Lives/Level/Time and the numbers, before
it looked very scruffy and lame! The gameover, oh no!! is now a copperbar
red. I have made also some minor improvements. I found what caused the
incompatability in the old Escape V2, it was the Killsys virus killer.
I don't know why it does not work properely, it just seems to chew on
a bit of memory it shouldn't. It is going to be released tomorrow...
It is now 25th June 1992. Today I have finally updated Escape V2 to V2.2.
I have added 12 tiles and 1 wall anim. The 'paradox' 8*8 has been changed
to leonardos font. I deleted the main scrolly font to 1 bit plane (2
colours). This save a lot of chip memory - therefore more tiles allowed.
I bug in the design has been fixed (the same bug as in the old
escape - since the designer was made in August 1991). Escape III was
completed yesterday - therefore (If in original condition), on this disk.
Game finally was optimised slightly, but this will not be noticable. Also
the soundtracker V2.4 replay routine has been changed to the protracker
replay routine which is a lot better and a lot faster and can cope with
most formats of modules (Replay routine includes fune tuning).

Credits
-------

Dan - For Designing the game and making the man animation and a 1/3 of the
blocks and the 32*32 font on Escape V1. And making the levels for Escape V1.
And the loader picture to Escape V1
Leonardo - For helping with testing Escape and making the rest of the tiles,
the 32*32 font on Escape V2. + 8*8 font
Mark (ME!) - For coding the program and debugging, documenting etc.
Mad Phantom - For making the music for Escape V1 and V2.

how to obtain the compiler:
---------------------------

Send 5 Pounds to me (or more if you live abroad as appropiate)

Mark Page, 50 Victoria Avenue, Sleaford, Lincolnshire. NG34 7LN ENGLAND.

If sending cheque, make it payable to Mark Page
Postal order is preferable.
If cheques are send, I will have to wait for them to be cleared before I
send the full version.

You will recieve 2 disks. The first disk will contain the latest programs
connected with Escape 2 + Compiler
The Second disk will contain all the levels to Escape (45 of them!) lots
of music modules for use with the compiler etc.

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