Note: Before you get going, WhackIt! requires a 256 color monitor, about 600K free memory, and system 6.0.5 or greater. Sorry if that rules you out.
Contents:
1. Introduction
2. Instructions
A. Installation
B. What happens from there
C. Menu commands
D. Playing
E. Scoring
F. Game over
3. Upgrading
4. Contact Info/Distribution
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1. Introduction
Most of you are probably already familiar with the basic concept behind WhackIt!. It is simply a computerized version of the old arcade Whack-A-Mole games where you have a large, soft paddle that you use to smack a bunch of animals that pop up out of holes. If you hit them, you gain points; if you miss and they escape, you lose the game. Well, it's basically the same here; you control a virtual paddle with your mouse and/or keyboard, and of course, the entire process has been Macized for your sanity's sake. Oh, and you don't have to drop any quarters in (cuz this version's FREE! Of course, if you pay a little more, you can get some really neat stuff—see Upgrading below).
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2. Instructions
A. Installation
If you are reading this now, you're done. This game was probably given to you or downloaded in some sort of Stuffit™, self-expanding, or other archive. All you have to do is run the program. If it is on a floppy disk or CD-ROM, you can run the program right off that without having to drag a copy onto your hard disk. If, God forbid, you wish to de-install (trash) WhackIt!, just drag it and the accompanying files (probably just this Read Me) to the Trash. There are no other files to worry about since WhackIt! stores its preferences and high scores in its own resource fork so as not to overload your Preferences folder any more than it already is. This means that you won't be able to save your scores and prefs if you're running off a write-protected volume (translation: CD or locked disk), but the game will still run. Therefore, it is probably a good idea to keep a copy of the game around on your hard disk if you plan on keeping it. Of course, with the Weenie Edition you have here, that doesn't matter; the Weenie Edition of WhackIt! does not save scores and prefs. That is one of the perks of Upgrading.
B. What happens from there
When you run the game, it will check to see if you are in 8-bit (256 colors) mode. If not, a dialog appears asking you if you want to switch or quit (your original depth will be restored when you are done playing). Unless you have some reason not to, click the button to change and proceed. When you have done this or if you were already in 8-bit mode, it will go on to the next step, a short dialog informing you of the benefits of upgrading. When you click the button to go on from there, a title screen will appear. If you do nothing, the high scores will be shown, and then the title screen, high scores, title screen, high scores, etc. etc. ad nauseum. At this point you will probably want to choose New Game from the File menu or click in the playing window, which does the same thing. You may also want to adjust your Preferences first. From this point, you can do lots of things, so here's a rundown of all the menu items and what they do:
C. Menu commands
Apple Menu: About WhackIt!: Basically gives you the credits and ways to contact me with various info or cash. In the Extra Groovy Edition, contains the gateway to the mysterious Tip of the Day.
File Menu: New Game, Pause Game, Resume Game, End Game, Quit: Do the obvious things; all have key equivalents, and all but Pause and Resume have dialog boxes that come up to confirm your choice, so you don't have to worry about hitting one by accident. Escape also doubles as another End Game key. These occasionally can be invoked by methods other than menus or key equivalents, such as: New Game can be triggered by clicking in the game window on the title or high scores screens; Pause Game can be triggered by switching to another application or entering one of the game's dialog boxes like About, Help, etc.; and Resume Game can be triggered by clicking in the game window when paused.
File Menu: Keys/Difficulty: Brings up a dialog box in which you can change your difficulty (starting level) and the keys you use to control the game. Certain keys always work, such as the numeric keypad, and the mouse always works. In the Extra Groovy Edition, the contents of this box can change depending on the current game mode.
File Menu: Help!!!!!!!: Brings up a series of dialog boxes with basic game information, but you shouldn't need it since you're reading this.
Edit Menu: Is all a joke.
Special Menu: Appears only in the Extra Groovy Edition; lets you switch game mode and the characters you play with (you can hit more than just moles, you know...).
D. Playing (the fun part)
Most of the time you are running WhackIt!, you will actually be playing the game. Here's how that works: When you begin, you will see nine holes. Before long, a little mole-like creature will pop out of one; when he's all the way up he is highlighted in green to get your attention. You want to WHACK that bad boy. You do this either by moving the mouse cursor (which ought to look like a little paddle) over it and clicking, or by hitting the corresponding keyboard key, either from the numeric keypad (if you have one) or the other keys that you can define in the Keys/Difficulty dialog box. For example, if the mole shows up in the upper left hole, hit the 7 key on the keypad. If you hit the mole, he looks surprised for a second and then disappears back into his hole. If you do nothing, he will stay up for a few seconds and then go back into his hole unharmed; this makes you lose a life. You start out with 5 lives. If you "swing" but miss, either by clicking the mouse in the wrong place or by hitting a key that corresponds to the wrong hole, you can keep trying until it is time for him to go back in the hole. After you have hit enough moles for the level you are on, you get a bonus and proceed to the next one, which is of course slightly faster than the one you just left. That basically wraps up the whole game, except for scoring specifics. Here's a list of score-related stuff.
E. Scoring (in the game, that is)
You get 50 points for hitting a mole.
You lose 100 points for swinging but missing.
You lose 200 points and one life when a mole escapes.
End-of-level bonuses are as follows: 100 points times the level you finished, times a certain additional percentage depending on your difficulty level. You get no additional bonus for Weenie difficulty, 5% more than your "base bonus" for Easy, 10% more than base bonus for Medium, etc.
Extra lives are awarded as follows: The first one is at 5000 points. The next one is 6000 points later, at 11000 points. The next one is 7000 points later, at 18000 points. The next is 8000 points later, at 26000 points. Etc., etc. Get it?
Note: Your score cannot go below 0. If you lose points from then on, it just stays at 0.
F. For when you bite the dust
At some point, of course, all your lives will be gone and your game will end. At this point, one of two things will happen: If your high score beats any of those currently in the top ten, you will be prompted for a name to be remembered by. Otherwise, you will simply be mocked and allowed to see how far you still have to go (through the showing of the high scores). In the Weenie Edition, top scores are only saved as long as the game is running; in other Editions, they are saved every time you quit for the next time it is run.
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3. Upgrading
As you may have noticed, WhackIt! Weenie Edition sounds like a pretty neato game, and it is. Plus, it's free. But even we shareware authors have to make a living. Here's a rundown of what you get in each Edition and how much it will cost you.
Weenie Edition: FREE from the Internet, AOL, and so on—This is the basic game of WhackIt!. Nothing is wrong with it, and you can play it as long as you like. However, it has no extra bells or whistles, no Easter Eggs, and it doesn't save your preferences or high scores. Still, lots of people will still be happy with it anyway.
Normal Edition: $5 upgrade from Weenie—Contains everything from Weenie Edition, plus:
• The ability to save preferences and high scores
• Three supersecret Easter eggs
• No annoying shareware dialog boxes
Extra Groovy Edition: $10 from Weenie, or $5 from Normal—Contains everything from previous Editions, plus:
• Four more character sets: Now you can WHACK moles, moles in pseudo-3D holes, Bill Gates, Barney the dinosaur, and a mime, complete with new sounds
• Two more juicy Easter eggs
• An extra play mode based on the same principles of basic WhackIt!, but with a twist
• The Tip of the Day feature, which gives you hints and other messages from the game
• Cheat sheets for all the Easter eggs, for those who like to cheat in discovering the cheats
To upgrade, send a check or money order (made out to Matthew Johnson) for either $5 or $10 to the address listed in Contact Info below. Include your full name and zip code (the info I will use to keep track of who has upgraded). There are several ways to receive your upgrade. The fastest and easiest is to include your e-mail address as well (if you can receive files through e-mail). If you want to get your upgrade REALLY fast, use a money order so I don't have to wait for a check to clear. I will then send you the file through e-mail, and you will get it within a couple hours of when I send it. If you include your e-mail address, also tell me whether or not you want to be included on a mailing list I will use to let people know when I have a new product coming out. This will only result in one mail every several weeks at the very most, and I won't sell the addresses or anything like that. If you cannot receive files through e-mail, please also include one 1.4 MB floppy disk in a self-addressed, stamped whatever-you-want-it-mailed-in. I will copy the files and send it out as soon as I can.
I strongly urge you to upgrade. If you like the Weenie Edition, you will love the Normal Edition, and the Extra Groovy Edition (BEST DEAL!!!) will just make you collapse in ecstasy. Please. If I don't receive any shareware money, I can't continue making games. That's all I'll say. Thanks.
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4. Contact Info/Distribution
To upgrade to a better version of WhackIt!, or to let me know of any comments, suggestions, or bug reports you may have, you can contact me by any of the methods below:
E-mail: MattTheGr8@aol.com
Fax: (910) 377-3100
Snail mail: Matt the Great Software Enterprises
c/o Matthew Johnson
P.O. Box 307
Rural Hall, NC 27045
Web page: http://members.aol.com/MattTheGr8/warning.html
Feel free to give copies of WhackIt! Weenie Edition to your friends, upload it to your favorite Web site or online service, etc. Do NOT sell any version of WhackIt! or give away copies of the Normal or Extra Groovy Edition. This is software piracy and illegal. If you want to include WhackIt! Weenie Edition on some sort of shareware CD-ROM or something, please e-mail me the details so I can approve them; in most cases, I'll be glad to allow it to be included.
