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Text File | 1994-07-12 | 12.1 KB | 269 lines

▒▓▓▓▓▓▓▓▓▓▓▓▓▓▓▓▓▓▓▓▓▓▓▓▓▓▓▓▓▓▓▓▓▓▓▓▓▓▓▓▓▓▓▓▓▓▓▓▓▓▓▓▓▓▓▓▓▓▓▓▓▓▓▓▓▓▓▓▓▓▓▓▓▓▓▓▓▓▒ ░ ░ ░ Jumper Dude - Shareware from PC Specialists - Copyright 1994 PC Specialists ░ ░ ░ ▒▓▓▓▓▓▓▓▓▓▓▓▓▓▓▓▓▓▓▓▓▓▓▓▓▓▓▓▓▓▓▓▓▓▓▓▓▓▓▓▓▓▓▓▓▓▓▓▓▓▓▓▓▓▓▓▓▓▓▓▓▓▓▓▓▓▓▓▓▓▓▓▓▓▓▓▓▓▒ PC SPECIALISTS Post Office Box 4522 (904)-625-7214 Ocala, FL 34478 ═══════════════════════════════════════════════════════════════════════════════ Jumper Dude README.1ST file CONTENTS: ───────────────────────────────────── ■ Game Objective ■ Hardware Requirements ■ Known Problems ■ Instructions / How to Play ■ Ordering Information ■ Programmer's Notes GAME OBJECTIVE: ─────────────── Jumper Dude - A Motorcycle Jumping Game Your goal is to drive & control your motorcycle, picking up and adjusting your speed, and then hitting a launch ramp at just the right speed to land safely on the landing ramp. In between the ramps are obstacles. Each time you successfully jump an obstacle, the landing ramp is moved, a new obstacle is added and the jump becomes more difficult. To assist you, your gauge panel shows your gear, number of obstacles, and speed (in miles per hour). Be aware that the speedometer has a 120mph limit, although both bikes can travel faster than that. New players should use the default SJB-750 bike (Super Jump Bike, 750cc) as it has an automatic transmission - no shifting, just gas and brakes. When you get the hang of it, you'll want to move up to the UJB-900 bike (Ultra Jump Bike, 900cc) as it is the only bike capable of jumping all of the obstacles. You also earn points much faster when using the UJB-900. But it's harder to drive because of all the shifting and the potential for blowing the engine by over revving. We know it can be done, but it is so difficult to jump all of the obstacles that we have developed a JUMPER DUDE MASTERS program. If you manage to jump all of the obstacles, the program will give you a victory song & code. Send us the code and we'll add you to our JUMPER DUDE MASTERS list on our BBS. It's a neat way to prove that you are one of the elite Jumper Dude's! So put on your helmet, choose a bike, and try to become a famous Jumper Dude! HARDWARE REQUIREMENTS: ────────────────────── » 512K RAM » 286/386/486/Pentium/Faster Processor (386-25MHz & above suggested) » EGA/VGA Video Card » NO MULTITASKING (including Windows) The requirements for Jumper Dude are very standard. However, here are some notes, and you should also read the KNOWN PROBLEMS category: PROCESSOR: This game will function on virtually any processor (maybe even an 8088 XT). But functioning and playable are two different things. The smoothness and realism of the animation are very much based on the speed of your processor (and somewhat of your video card). During testing, the game ran PERFECTLY on a 486-66MHz and a 486-50MHz. It also ran very well on 3 different 386-40MHz machines. We also tested on a 386-25MHz and found game play acceptable, but a little choppy. However, although it did run on a 286-12MHz machine, the animation was very choppy. For this reason, we suggest a 386-25MHz or above for good game play. VIDEO: A Video Card capable of running 640x350x16 mode is required. This includes virtually all VGA boards and the large majority of EGA boards. Note that some computers may say they have VGA (IBM PS/2 Model 30), but actually have MCGA instead, and thus do not support the required 640x350x16 mode. Of course a Local Bus or Accelerated video card will perform the best, but the processor is really the biggest factor. NO MULTITASKING: This program should not be run under Windows. For one thing, it is way too choppy as Windows messes with the clock ticks. For another thing, the ALT-SPACE (Accelerate-Shift) combination will through the program into a Windows window, freezing the game. Other multitaskers exhibit choppy play, even on very fast computers, so we recommend NO MULTITASKING. KNOWN PROBLEMS: ─────────────── The are two possible problems we discovered during testing. We welcome input from other programmers as to ways to resolve these problems for a future program update. You may never know these problems exist, but we wanted to make you aware of them. #1) Scrambled Video on Intro, Instructions, and/or Ordering screens. This usually appears as a stripe of color and/or missing color midway through the screen image, possibly rendering that portion unreadable. This showed up on two different computers we used for testing. Both computers were running totally different hardware, even different DOS versions. The only similarity is that both computers were running Seagate IDE type Hard Drives. In testing, we found the problem went away by running the program from a floppy disk on both computers. This may lend credibility to the hard drive theory. For programmers, what we are doing is directly loading in binary image files to the EGA planes at &HA000. Varying the speed of loading seems to make no difference. It also appears to NOT be caused by the video card, as the same card in a different computer has no problem. PROBLEM #1 FIXED! If you have this problem, don't fear! We have included all of the information on the affected screens within this README.1ST file. #2) Watch Out for Midnight! This problem could possibly affect all systems and is easily detected. If the game suddenly locks up, look at your clock. If it is midnight, you've been had. For programmers, what we are doing is using the computer's timer to determine elapsed time for specifically timed pauses. We cannot use the speaker for timing because it is playing background music/sounds. Because the timer resets to 0 at midnight, a pause hit exactly at this time could cause the program to wait for a time what will never come. Most of these events are so specific that a check routine threw off the whole timing procedure. Example: Seconds elapsed: 86399 (11:59:58pm) Pause 2 sec until: 86401 (no such time, 86400 becomes 0) PROBLEM #2 FIXED! If you have this problem there is currently only one fix: Don't play the game at exactly midnight! If you're playing and midnight is near, let it sit at one of the [press spacebar] screens until after midnight. Then you can continue without any trouble. INSTRUCTIONS / HOW TO PLAY: ─────────────────────────── Your Goal: ========== Your goal is to set a new world's record by successfully jumping all 20 obstacles without crashing or blowing your engine. Each jump becomes more difficult, and in the higher levels you'll have to rely on instinct because your speedometer goes out at high speeds! Additionally, the UJB-750 bike does not have enough top-end to win the game. You'll have to learn to drive the tricky & super powerful UJB-900! Controls: ========= No keys .. ■ Coast <Alt> .... ■ Accelerate <Ctrl> ... ■ Brakes <Spacebar> ■ Shift (UJB-900 only) Both bikes automatically downshift as you slow down. The speedometer will change colors in the shift range to remind you to shift when using the UJB-900. Scoring: ======== Top Level Complete ■ 500 points Middle Level Complete ■ 1000 points Successful Jump ■ 1000 times the number of obstacles Bonus Points - By using the UJB-900, you earn bonus points by shifting at the last possible moment (before the engine blows) in each gear. The closer you are, the more points you earn. Any Bonus is awarded after a successful jump. NOTE: Generally, when you crash your bike by missing the landing ramp, the game is over. However, in the first 3 rounds, you can continue from where you crashed by sacrificing 3500 points. If you don't have 3500 points, you can still continue, but your score goes down to 0. This way you can quickly get up to speed on the bike and understand how the game is played. Shifting: On a real motorcycle, you would momentarily let off the gas while changing gears. On Jumper Dude, keep the gas on (hold down the ALT key) while shifting (press the SPACEBAR). National Recognition: ===================== If you can jump all 20 obstacles, you'll be given a code to send in to us. We'll send you a disk filled with programs, but more importantly, your name will be added to the JUMPER DUDE MASTERS list on our BBS for all to see! You'll be a true Jumper Dude Champion and everybody will know it! Now it's up to you! Are YOU the Jumper Dude? ORDERING INFORMATION: ───────────────────── The Complete Jumper Dude Game is Only $7.95! (FL residents add 6% sales tax) Register and not only will the shareware screen be removed, but you will also get: ■ Access to the extended levels of this game-Each with additional difficulty! ■ 20 Rounds packed with Interesting Obstacles to Jump! ■ Additional Graphics & Music! ■ AND - If you somehow manage to jump ALL the obstacles: You'll receive a SPECIAL CODE that can be mailed to us and we'll send you a FREE DISK Packed with original software in exchange! We'll also add your name, city, and state to our *JUMPER DUDE MASTERS* list on our BBS for all to see! Do you have what it takes to be a true Jumper Dude??? IMMEDIATE REGISTRATION BY PHONE: Call us TOLL FREE @ (800)-625-7214 -------------------------------- Register this program by phone using your VISA or MasterCard & we'll give you a code over the phone that will IMMEDIATELY turn this Shareware copy into a Registered copy with all of the extras mentioned above. $2 Order processing on phone orders. Register Right Now! OR REGISTER BY MAIL: Mail Check or Money Order for $7.95 + $1.00P&H + Tax -------------------- Payable/Mail To: PC Specialists P.O. Box 4522 Ocala, FL 34478 We'll return a code via 1st class mail that will register your copy! PROGRAMMER'S NOTES: ─────────────────── Jonathan Stanley here, the programmer for Jumper Dude. First, I'd like to thank the following: --------------------------------------- » My wife for not leaving me during the weeks of day & night programming. 'nuff said. » My cat for keeping an all night vigil by my door and meowing happily every time I finished another important section of code. Really! You should see him watch the motorcycle on the screen. Probably thinks it's a roach or something, huh? » My brother & my friends for patiently helping me test this program. BASIC, What's That? ------------------- Someone recently said that "C" is the only language you can use to write a decent game program. I attempted to produce evidence against that statement. This program was written entirely in BASIC. (gasp, sputter). In fact, aside from a small handful of assembler calls for keyboard & screen handling, and the speed gained by compiling, this entire program COULD have been written in BASICA. The only thing I wish I had was a way to call .WAV files for sound effects. I did find a CMF music player, but it required the user to run a TSR driver before the game, something I didn't like. But regardless, I hope that other programmers and everyone else are pleased with the end product. Where did the idea come from? ----------------------------- The idea came directly from a game I wrote, and never released, for the TI-99/4A computer (the what?) in the early '80s. It was called Motorcycle Dude (hmmmm) and was about 200 lines of code. (Jumper Dude has over 2000 lines of code). Out of the hundreds of programs I wrote back then, it was the most popular. In fact, now, when we dig out the TI and blow out the cobwebs, we still find ourselves going back to Motorcycle Dude. It was very primitive, slow, and bland compared to Jumper Dude, and yet it was fun. I hope that you find Jumper Dude to have that same fun and intrigue. Happy Jumping! ============== [end of document]