PC Action 1996 September/PCA0996.ISO/demos/h2o/readme.doc

Text File | 1996-07-07 | 21.8 KB | 881 lines

This file is 'readme.doc'

Please read this file before calling
708-257-1224 for tech-support!
Tech-support is available for REGISTERED
customers of H2O only.
----------------------------------------
Note:  If reading this file from the
Webfoot readme file viewer, use

Cursor up / down to scroll
or
Page Up / Page Down  to scroll fast

ESCape, Enter, or Space to exit
----------------------------------------
Copyright 1996
Webfoot Technologies, Inc.
ALL RIGHTS RESERVED

This program is shareware, or 'try
before you buy'.  It is NOT public
domain.
----------------------------------------
IMPORTANT!  Does H2O fail to load?

If H2O fails to load or you don't hear
sound, chances are YOUR SOUNDCARD HAS
BEEN CONFIGURED INCORRECTLY!

To setup your soundcard, you must run
the H2O SETUP program and either
choose 'No Sound', or choose the correct
soundcard in your system and choose its
correct address, DMA, and IRQ numbers.

Please refer to your system's manuals or
your soundcard's manuals to determine
the address, DMA, and IRQ numbers.

Failure to setup your soundcard
correctly may cause H2O to crash!
----------------------------------------
IMPORTANT!  You don't hear any sound?

If you tried to choose your soundcard,
but still hear no sound, check the
following:

1.  Have you chosen the correct sound-
card and address, DMA, and IRQ numbers
in the H2O SETUP program?
2.  Is your volume turned up, speakers
plugged in and powered up?
3.  Do you have a soundcard?
4.  Are you inside a vacuum?
----------------------------------------
What's in this file?

I. H2O Ordering Information
II. H2O Instructions


SECTION I
H2O Ordering Information

----------------------------------------
1.  Why Register?
2.  USA Orders
3.  Germany/Switzerland/Austria
4.  Scandinavia (also Finland/Iceland)
5.  France
6.  Australia and New Zealand
7.  All Other Countries Orders
8.  Other Webfoot Games
9.  More About Webfoot Technologies
10. Legal Stuff
----------------------------------------
1.  Why Register?

Even more great levels, music, and
sounds:

40 total mind-bending levels

Printed manual with hints, tips,
and secrets (manual may not be
available in France)

Complete, easy setup instructions
and troubleshooting information

Attractive package with high density
disk

Eligibility for H2O Global High
Score Hall of Fame
----------------------------------------
2.  USA Orders

Toll Free (ORDERS ONLY!)
1-800-4WEBTEC
(1-800-493-2832)
Visa MasterCard Discover
American Express

Price:                        $29.95
Add Shipping and Handling:     $4.00

Or, send a check, cashiers check, or
money order to:

Webfoot Technologies, Inc.
P.O. Box 15
Lemont, IL  60439

FAX Orders to:
708-257-0942
IMPORTANT:  After August 3, 1996  our
area code changes, so call 630-257-0942

(Your FAX should contain:
Card number, card holder's name, and
expiration date.)

Questions and Tech Support
708-257-1224
630-257-1224 After August 3, 1996!

Or, fill out the form in the
H2O directory. It's named:
ORDER.DOC

Contact Webfoot on the Internet:
[e-mail]

Visit our web site:
http://www.WebfootGames.com/
----------------------------------------
3.  Orders in Germany, Austria, and
Switzerland

Ticsoft
c/o Juergen Egeling
Waldstr. 49
76133 Karlsruhe
Germany
Phone: [phone]
Fax.:  [phone]

Or from Germany
Tel.: [phone]
FAX.: [phone]

http://www.ticsoft.de/

Preis DM 39.90
Vorauskasse:            Plus DM 8.05 f.
Porto und Verpackung
Nachname                Plus DM 14.50
Europ. Ausland: Nur Vorauskasse
Euroscheck              Plus DM 13.80
----------------------------------------
4. Scandinavia (Including Finland and
Iceland)

Twilight Zone Software
P.O. Box 115
1712 GRAALUM
NORWAY

Price:                      159,- NOK
Plus handling and shipping:  29,- NOK

We accept orders the following ways:

1. Bankgiro for Norwegian and Swedish
customers.
Norway: Account no. 1090.21.09973
Sweden: Bankgiro no. 5986-6970

2. VISA card by FAX to [phone].
Your fax must contain: card number,
card holder's name, expiration date,
authorizing signature of the cardholder
and the order-form.

3. VISA card by Mail.
Send the same as above (2.) to TZS by
mail.

4. Money Order or Cashiers check payable
to Twilight Zone Software in either
Norwegian kroner (NOK), or local
currency.

The order-form must always be included!
----------------------------------------
5.  France

Vous pouvez vous procurer la version
finale de H2O avec ses 40 tableaux
et de nouveaux graphismes contre un
chèque de 99 Francs à l'adresse
suivante:

TLK GAMES
BP 24
81150 Florentin
France
Tel: [phone]
Fax: [phone]

----------------------------------------
6.  Australia and New Zealand

Spectrum Pacific Publishing
Level 1
30 Carrington St.
Sydney 2000
Australia

Phone: [phone];  24-hour
       automated ordering service only
Fax:   [phone]

Pay by check, money order or credit
card (MasterCard, Visa, Bankcard)

Price: $34.95 (AUD) plus postage:
        $4.95 for Australian orders,
        $5.95 for New Zealand orders
----------------------------------------
7.  All Other Countries Orders

All other foreign orders can be taken
by Webfoot Technologies, Inc.

US Dollars only, credit card and money
orders only ... no checks.

Add Shipping and Handling:     $10.00

International Phone:
1-708-257-1224
1-630-257-1224 after August 3, 1996!

International FAX Orders:
1-708-257-0942
1-630-257-0942 after August 3, 1996!

(Your fax should contain:
Card number, card holder's name, and
expiration date.)
----------------------------------------
8.  Other Webfoot Games

TwinBlok

Why save the universe?  Better worry
about saving your butt!  The Time
Spinners do not look kindly on failure.
They'll yank your status, terminate your
entity, and zap you into the netherest
of the nether regions.  Your journey
begins when Executive Time Spinner (ol'
T.S., you know) drops you ill-prepared
and poorly armored into the fray,
fighting off everything the Razerrians
(antiquated holdouts from the Snarr
Sector) can drop, kick or throw at you.
Blast through their defenses, traverse
the 50 levels of time blocks they will
use to impede your travel.  They'll
tantalize you with pictures from your
home planet, hurl you through space,
instead of merely time, and dazzle you
with nefarious patterns reminiscent of
the arcades in the Neo-Draconian Sector
in a celebrated age long past.  It's no
cakewalk.  Some of the time blocks are
deceptive.  So what if you fail?  So
what, indeed!
----------------------------------------
D.R.O.D.: Deadly Rooms of Death

A real 'killer.' More news in the
obituary columns. (Evil laugh)
In order to complete a level, Beethro
must destroy all of the monsters and
find the exit.  When all nine levels
have been cleared, Beethro will collect
enough money from King Dugan to retire
from the thankless dungeon
extermination trade and open a
restaurant.  'I'll call it Beethro's
Roasted Roach Grill!'
D.R.O.D. runs under Windows and
features detailed graphics and an
awesome MIDI sound track.
----------------------------------------
Interpose

Fulfilling the Webfoot promise of
incredible graphics and music, Interpose
is a stunningly fast scrolling action
game.  The action - and that DOES mean
action! - takes place in space.  Shoot
3D enemy ships while conserving energy
and fire-power.  Over 18 levels packed
with great graphics, music, and
animation.
----------------------------------------
Farocar

A strategy game with 200 mind-bending
levels.  Includes 3 different choices
of difficulty per level and a full level
editor.
----------------------------------------
Tronic

Another arcade classic brought to your
home PC.  Multiple levels of great VGA
graphics, sound effects, and music.
----------------------------------------
Hopy-ONE

In the year 2013, seven of the
Planetariums decided to initiate a plan
to eradicate the F.L.V. (Fast Line
Virus), the deadliest strain of mutating
virus in the galaxy.  The virus caused
total population decimation on 17
Astrocolonies.  No survivor of the
dreaded virus was reported.  A team of
researchers assembled to obtain a sample
of the F.L.V. and devise a vaccine
against it.  Professor Jonathan Silt was
one of the team members sent to the
dying colonies.  He spent 13 years on an
intergalactic base, and was infected,
while learning about the infection of
F.L.V.  The bio-droid, HOPY-ONE, was
created in a laboratory Silt had set up
to research the virus.  Silt was
cryogenically frozen in 2026.  HOPY-
ONE's mission was to collect samples of
the virus to aid in the production of a
vaccine.  The fate of Silt, who waits in
cryosleep, and the fate of the entire
universe, rests with HOPY-ONE.
----------------------------------------
Keep an eye out for other Webfoot games
available through usual shareware
channels.
----------------------------------------
9.  About Webfoot Technologies, Inc.

If you have a great game you'd like
published, or if you're an aspiring
programmer, 3D renderer, artist, or
musician who would like to work on some
games, please contact us!

Webfoot Technologies, Inc.
P.O. Box 15
Lemont, IL  60439
1-708-257-1224 VOICE
1-708-257-0942 FAX

IMPORTANT!  After August 3, 1996 call
1-630-257-1224 VOICE
1-630-257-0942 FAX

http://www.WebfootGames.com/

e-mail: [e-mail]
----------------------------------------
10.  Legal Stuff

Copyright 1996
Webfoot Technologies, Inc.
ALL RIGHTS RESERVED
----------------------------------------


SECTION II
H2O Instructions

---------------------
Within this file:

Cursor up / down
to scroll
or
Page Up / Page Down
to scroll fast

ESCape, Enter, or Space
returns to DOS.
----------------------------------------
System Requirements

- 80386 33 Mhz or higher
- 1 Meg of memory
- 5 Megs of free hard disk space
- VGA graphics card
- MS-DOS (or DOS shell in Windows)

Optional

- Joystick or Gravis Joypad
- SoundBlaster, SB 16, SB Pro, PAS 16,
  Gravis Ultrasound, Ensoniq Soundscape,
  Windows Sound System, GUSMAX CODEC,
  or Aria sound cards
----------------------------------------
The plot...

Drops of water start to fall from the
top of a scrolling playfield.  You must
direct these drops into a drainpipe at
the bottom of the screen by throwing
up blocks to stop the flow of water,
building bridges to steer the water, or
throwing bombs to blast through
obstacles.

Each level is an amazingly fun puzzle to
solve!  When you think you've saved
enough drops, hit the 'Escape' key to
move on to the next level, or start the
current level over again.
----------------------------------------
Before you start

First, run SETUP.BAT found in the H2O
directory!  Remember, H2O is a DOS
program.  The setup program assesses
your system as you have it configured,
and establishes your preferences for the
game.

Be sure you configure H2O and your
computer for maximum enjoyment.  If your
computer is an older one, you can still
enjoy the game, but you might have to
experiment a little with changing some
of the options to lower the load on the
system.

H2O will take almost whatever computer
system you feed it, as far as is
possible, and configure itself
accordingly.  If you don't get sound, or
the joystick doesn't work, however,
there's probably something about your
computer's memory or other configuration
that you need to deal with before
running H2O.

For example, many people have multiple
I/O cards such as serial ports, parallel
ports, network boards, joystick ports,
sound cards, CD-rom controllers, etc.
All such devices appropriate one or more
of the computer's 'interrupts' for
themselves, and read from or write to
specific locations in memory.  If any of
these conflict, your system will give
trouble, plain and simple.  You might
not know anything is wrong, however,
until you try to play music, accept
input from the joystick and mouse, and
perform awesome (ahem!) feats of
graphics at the same time - like in
H2O!

Options
-------

If you are having trouble setting up
your system with enough free memory to
run H2O with the sound on, you have
several options.  First, if you are
running DOS or Windows 3.x, you can try
to run 'MEMMAKER', a Microsoft utility
that will analyze your system and re-
configure your CONFIG.SYS and
AUTOEXEC.BAT files to optimize free
memory.  Also, you can try to make a
bootable floppy with only the minimal
drivers needed to boot your system
(and possibly, run your soundcard)
loaded in AUTOEXEC.BAT and CONFIG.SYS.
Making a bootable floppy is a task for
only the more experienced gamer.  You'll
have to refer to your system manuals for
the details on loading the correct
drivers.

As a last resort, you can always play
H2O without sound.  Just select
'No Sound driver' in the SETUP.BAT
program in the H2O game directory.

Sounds and music
----------------
The following sound cards are supported:

SoundBlaster (TM)
SoundBlaster Pro (TM)
SoundBlaster 16 (TM)
Aria sound card (TM)
Ensoniq Soundscape (TM)
Gravis Ultrasound (TM)
GUSMAX CODEC (TM)
ProAudio Spectrum 16 (TM)
Windows Sound System (TM)

H2O's incredible music requires, of
course, a sound card.  Here are some
additional pointers for getting the most
out of some specific sound cards.

If you're using a Pro Audio Spectrum
family sound card, be sure you have the
card's driver specified in the
CONFIG.SYS file.  It's best if you can
set the card's DMA channel to a 16-bit
DMA (5, 6, 7).  The sound will work with
an 8-bit DMA channel, but it won't sound
as good.  Okay, okay, it'll sound really
awful.  Sixteen-bit sound requires a
16-bit DMA channel, so there.

With most sound cards, including Sound
Blasters, it's better to have
environment variables defined in the
AUTOEXEC.BAT.  The reason is that on
some systems, the hardware detection
process can fail or hang, and when it
does, you're stuck.  The string
definition should look something like:

BLASTER=AHHH IX DX TX

(Where the 'X' represents some number
that belongs in this position.)

Chances are, your address is 220,
your interrupt is 5, and you're using
DMA channel 1.  So you'd want to use
the following actual text in your
AUTOEXEC.BAT file:

BLASTER=A220 I5 D1 T1

That one's for the Sound Blaster
family.  Gravis UltraSound would look
something like:

ULTRASND=XXX,X,X,X,X

(Where the 'X' represents some number
that belongs in this position.)

Any sound card not mentioned in the
SETUP program might still work, but the
users must set it up to emulate Sound
Blaster or some other card mentioned in
the SETUP program.

Defaults
--------
All this is dreadfully confusing, isn't
it?  Okay, the best thing to try first
is to take all the defaults.  If your
system is fairly vanilla, then H2O
will detect everything and present its
opinions for your approval during the
setup process.  Simple.  If it doesn't
work, then dig into the manuals, using
this information as a guide for where to
look.  The most common problem is
multiple cards overlapping use of DMA
channels and interrupts.

Windows(TM)
-----------
H2O will run under Windows(TM) 3.x
and Windows 95(TM).  Just click on
the DOS icon called 'H2O.EXE'.

----------------------------------------
H2O MAIN MENU

Use the arrow up and down keys to change
menu options.  Hit the return key to
select an option.

The Main Menu:

Play
Setup
Resume Game
Instructions
Hi-Scores
How to Order
Quit

Play
Select 'Play' to start a new game, or
to resume an old game (after the level
code was entered in 'Resume Game').
You will be prompted for your name.  If
you are not sure of your name, we have
a few good suggestions:  Pascal, Dana,
Peep, etc.

Setup
The 'Setup' option allows you to select
an input device.  The choices are
keyboard, joystick, or joypad.  Also,
the music can be turned on and off from
here.

Resume Game
To continue a game without starting
from Level 1, write down each level's
'Level Code' (which is on the summary
screen before each level).  Then, choose
'Resume Game' from the main menu and now
enter that level code that you wrote
down.  Once the level code has been
entered, go back to the main menu and
select 'Play'.  The game will now start
at the level specified by the level
code.

Instructions
Choose this to view a brief summary of
the game play.

Hi-Scores
The hi-score hall of fame.

How to Order
If you like the shareware version of H2O
you can purchase the registered version
for $29.95 and get 40 levels of puzzles,
music and graphics!

Quit
Exit to DOS.
----------------------------------------
Everything set up? Now for...

H2O GAME PLAY  (Finally!)

The goal of H2O is to direct the falling
water drops from the top of the
scrolling playfield into the drainpipe
at the bottom.  There are 3 different
ways to direct the flow of water...
by using:

- Bombs
- Blocks
- Bridges

Bombs
-----
Blast through obstacles and terrain by
throwing a bomb.  Be careful, you will
only have a limited supply of bombs.
On some levels, you will not be supplied
with any bombs at all... you'll have to
use blocks or bridges to solve the
level instead.  To throw a bomb, hit 'X'
on the keyboard, or push the joystick/
joypad button while pushing the
joystick/joypad in the 'down' direction.

Blocks
------
To impede the flow of water, you can
erect a block.  Once a block is put up,
it is permanent!  To place a block, hit
'Z' on the keyboard, or push the
joystick/joypad button at the same time
pushing in the 'up' direction.

Bridges
-------
Water can be diverted along a new path
by building a bridge.  There will be a
limited supply of bridge lengths, so
choose where to build bridges wisely!
There are two steps to building a
bridge.  Both the start and finish
position of the bridge must be
specified.  To start a bridge, hit the
'C' key or press the joystick/joypad
button and move left.  To complete the
bridge, hit the 'V' key or press the
joystick/joypad button and move right.
After the finish position of the bridge
is specified, the bridge will be built.

Scorebar
--------
The scorebar at the bottom of the screen
will display, from left to right:

- number of water drops collected
- number of blocks left
- number of bombs left
- number of bridge pieces left
- time left to play

----------------------------------------
Once you are confident all your bombs,
blocks, and/or bridges are in the right
place, you can hit the 'A' key to speed
up the flow of water and complete the
level.

Hit 'escape' when you think a level is
completed and you have saved enough
drops to advance to the next level.

Summary of Keyboard Commands:

Z - Put up a block
X - Throw a bomb
C - Start a bridge
V - Finish a bridge
A - Accelerate water flow
ESCAPE - Finish a level

Summary of Joystick/Joypad Commands
in Combination with the Button:

Up    - Put up a block
Down  - Throw a bomb
Left  - Start a bridge
Right - Finish a bridge

Strategies

Each level in H2O is a puzzle that you
must solve.  You will most likely have
to play through each level several times
before you figure out how to save enough
drops of water to move on to the next
puzzle.  First, take a look at what is
available to you at each level: bombs,
blocks, and bridges.  This will give you
clue as to what you need to do to solve
the puzzle.  Also pay attention to where
the water is collecting first, so you
know where to start working on each
screen.  Don't despair!  We have blurry-
eyed testers here at Webfoot who will
guarantee that every level of H2O is
solvable.
----------------------------------------
The Credits

Programming
Etienne Soble

Additional Programming
Pascal Pochol

Graphics
C. Deproyard

Rendering and Additional Graphics
Dana Dominiak

Music
R. Deliens

Sound Effects
J. Senec

Music System
DSMI by Otto Chrons (C) Virtual Visions

Publications Editor
Jay A. Gross

ANSI Artist
Jon Shiring

Corporate Attorney
Debra Osborn III


Produced by
Dana Dominiak
J.M. Martin


Germany/Switzerland/Austria Distribution
Juergen Egeling

Scandinavian Distribution
Morten Eriksen, Twilight Zone Software

French Distribution
Jean-Michel Martin, TLK Games

Australia/New Zealand
Benjamin Slabak, Spectrum Pacific
Publishing


Marketing
Brian Smolik
Mike Speyer
Martha Hauck

Beta Testers
Dan Wright
Erik Hermanssen
Thierry (Thierryierier) Grenier

Special Thanks To:

J.M. Hannoff
F. Hesdin
J.B. Lalisse
D. Tilloy
I. Barbe
M. Aranda
N. Desaint
David Jolarity
Krister Karlsson
Jason Brotherton
Jon Shiring
Ariel Gross
Pat Simmons
Christine Chan
Bonnie Smolik
Pierre Maloka
Brendan Larson
Susan Dominiak
Robert Dominiak
Jim Renz
Erin and Doug Dominiak
Peep the Bird
All people who are not politicians
The Toxic Zombies
----------------------------------------
Try this popular demosite:
ftp.cdrom.com /demos

Look for the Toxic Zombie's demo
'UNDEAD'
as well as some Twilight Zone demos
----------------------------------------
This program is shareware, or 'try
before you buy'.  It is NOT public
domain.

H2O(TM) is a trademark of Webfoot
Technologies, Inc.  All other trademarks
are the properties of their owners.

Copyright 1996
Webfoot Technologies, Inc.
ALL RIGHTS RESERVED
----------------------------------------
If using the Webfoot readme viewer,
Hit ESCape to return to DOS