Hey! Thanx for taking a look at this game. This is first program I have ever completed and, if I may say so, I'm pretty proud of it. It may not be as flashy as other Power PC programs but I'm afraid I needed the speed of the Power PC to make up for the fact that I am a self-taught programmer who barely knows what he is doing.
I love Battlezone and Spectre but these POV tank games are really 3D implementations of a 2D environment. I wanted to design a 3D tank game in a 3D environment. While I was writing the game, I found that it wasn't to hard to do the whole thing in stereo. I am very surprised that no other Mac games out there (completed anyway) are done in the red/blue stereo format.
How To Play
The game universe is made up of sixteen to thirty square pads distributed in 3D space. If you fall off a pad, you die. You may need some practice to get proficient at jumping from pad to pad so I included a Practice Game option for training. The "smart tank" option is a big help if you keep falling off the pads (using the smart tank option reduces your bonus between levels, however). Here's the short-and-sweet. It may seem complicated at first but it really isn't. I have designed the interface so that all the keys can be operated easily with one hand. If your mouse is on the right, place your left hand on the keyboard with your index finder on the f key, your pinkie on the a key and your thumb on the space bar (typical typing position). If it is on the left, place your right hand on the keyboard with your index finger on the j key and your pinkie on the ; key. Your ready.
The mouse acts as a joy stick. Move the mouse in the direction you want to go. If you hold down the space bar, you can still turn but wont move forwards or backwards. It's sometimes best to hold this down as you are falling so that you wont inadvertently slide off a pad once you land (or just turn on the smart tank option). You can't change your speed or turn your tank while you are in the air.
If you want to get to a pad directly below you, hit the a or ; key -- you will fall through the pad you are on. If you want to jump to an adjacent pad that is at the same height, hit the s or l keys while moving towards the pad. The d/k key will allow you to jump high enough to reach a pad one notch higher than your pad and the f/j keys will let you jump up two notches. If "the smart tank" option is on and you want to jump to a pad one notch lower than you, hit the a/; keys while moving towards the pad. Once you get comfortable jumping to adjacent pads, try making big leaps to far away pads. This is pretty fun once you get the hang of it. If your tank isn't jumping at all, check to make sure that the caps lock on your keyboard is off. The one other device at your disposal is the thruster. Your thrusters will give you an extra boost while in the air. It is best to tap the thruster (g/h keys) for a controlled fall rather than hold it down for reasons you will experience for yourself. Your thruster does run out with use so check your meter. You can always jump up through the bottom of a pad but wont fall through the top. You will see that one or two of the pads are flashing. A flashing pad will disappear within 5-15 seconds and will be replaced with a new pad elsewhere.
The z and / keys will change your point of view slightly.
Combat! Combat is simple. The mouse button fires your cannon. You have an unlimited number of shots. Normally, your cannon points directly in front of you but you can raise/lower the cannon with the mouse when you hold down the space bar (i.e.: press the space bar to aim, release it to move). Your cannon cannot fire at something below you. If you run over the little triangles and crystals that appear on some of the pads, you might increase the range of your next few shots. Check the Super Shot gauge. Your other weapons are missiles and thumpers (which you must collect). You aim missiles with your cannon and fire them with the e/i keys. They drop quickly so it is easier it hit something that is below you. A missile explodes when it hits a pad and kills everything on that pad (this means you too so don't hit your own pad). Both the cannon and the missiles will freely pass through the bottom of a pad. The c/, keys activate the thumpers. These will destroy everything that is on your pad (except you, of course). Quick typing lesson, both the missiles and thumpers can be reached with your middle finger with minimal effort.
As mentioned earlier, you will see triangles and crystals on some of the pads. The triangles are PowerUps and will give you either two missiles, one thumper, ten super shots or add to your thruster. There will always be a PowerUp around somewhere. The crystals may be harder to get at but they will give you a full complement of missiles (10),thumpers (10) or super shots (100), half a complement of thruster or one shield. You can choose what the crystal will give you by hitting the 1/0 keys (missiles), the 2/9 keys (super shots), 3/8 keys (thumper), 4/7 keys (thruster), or 5/6 keys (shields). A marker will show you your selection.
One more thing. At the end of a level, a bright pad with an X will appear. You will also hear a beeping. Get to this pad as fast as you can. The longer you wait, the smaller your bonus will be and if you wait too long (about a minute), all of the pads will disappear and you will probably fall to your death.
This is Shareware!
Yes, I want your money! But not much. If you like this game, all I ask is $12. If you send me a self-addressed stamped envelope with your shareware fee, I will also send you a free pair of 3D glasses (while supplies last; I have over 100 pair). I would love to pass out these glasses to anyone who asks but since I have a limited number, I would rather pass them out to registered users who want a spare set. If you need glasses, try the comic book stores or look for a computer book on virtual reality.
Send that shareware fee to...
James Beach
3124 Lincoln Way
Costa Mesa, CA 92626
As I am a hack, use this program at your own risk. I am not responsible for any damage this program may do to your computer, unexplained explosions of your monitor or damage to your eyes, hands, brain cells while playing this game.
Comments are wanted. My e-mail address is bobtheig@aol.com
Developers!
I have some great ideas and some killer graphics programs but I am a real hack when it comes to programming. Want to collaborate?
