Power CD

home *** CD-ROM | disk | FTP | other *** search

/ Power CD / Power CD ATARI-Rechner Lieben.iso / GAMES / SHAREWAR.E / RAYOID / RAYOID.ENG next >

Wrap

Text File | 1990-10-11 | 28.3 KB | 683 lines

RAYOID.ENG Copyright 1992 Raymond Hill All rights reserved Raymond Hill GEnie : O.OKTAL (Thanks to Oktal) -------------------------------------------------------------------------- Read this ! -------------------------------------------------------------------------- RAYOID.LZH, RAYOID.PRG, RAYOID.FRA and RAYOID.ENG are Copyright 1992. This is the unregistered version. You have to register yourself to obtains the full version (which is able to SAVE) of RAYOID. It is strictly forbidden to change, edit or modify in any way the archive file RAYOID.LZH or the files RAYOID.PRG, RAYOID.FRA and RAYOID.ENG. You are free to copy and distribute without any charge the archive file RAYOID.LZH provided it has not been modified in any way. The author forbids the distribution of RAYOID.LZH on disk, without the express permission of Raymond Hill ! Any person violating these terms could be prosecuted. Caution ! You can not make an auto-execute program with RAYOID.PRG. If you try this, your RAYOID.PRG will not works. -------------------------------------------------------------------------- RAYOID - Three games in one! -------------------------------------------------------------------------- RAYOID is a package offering three different types of game. In each one, the action takes place in space with you controlling a ship. But the goal is different depending on the mode selected. Playing modes: - Single player mode - Two-player mode using keyboard - Two-player mode by modem - Two-player mode via MIDI For details on each playing mode, see text below. The archive file RAYOID.LZH should contain these three files ONLY: - RAYOID.PRG -> executable program, unregistered version (90430 bytes) - RAYOID.FRA -> French documentation - RAYOID.ENG -> English documentation -------------------------------------------------------------------------- RAYOID is shareware -------------------------------------------------------------------------- The principle of Shareware is simple: The programmer leaves all between the hands of the user. After working on the development, programming and documentation of the program, the author places the software on the networks where it can be distributed freely and without any charge and where the users can get a FREE copy of the software. Those interested can then try it thoroughly without having to pay $50 or more for poor quality software or for a program they don't like. The final decision rests with the user who likes the game and decides to use it, thus benefitting from the programmer's work. Think about it. I received no money for the many hours spent on the development of this software. I could have spent these more profitably, but I decided to have a try at shareware because there are some advantages. But the shareware principle, which is based on the integrity of both parties, is not going to work if one party does not respect its part of the agreement. Be honest with yourself and you will be supporting a new dynamic concept in the computing world that can only improve the creativity and the quality of the software packages available for YOUR computer. Sincerely, I hope it will work as this would allow me to work in a field I like and give you access to software at budget prices. If you decide to keep and to use RAYOID, you will receive a registered copy tagged with your name, with the "Save" option enabled, which one allows you to keep your hi score, personnal record, custom keyboard configuration, etc. Send : Money order, 12 dollars (Canadian) to the following address: Raymond Hill (RAYOID) 62, rue Brodeur Saint-Constant (Québec) Canada J0L 1X0 Thanks. A custom copy with your name and that have the "Save" options will be send to you quickly. Don't forget to include your name and address. P.S. If the shareware concept works, please be aware that I have several projects waiting to be completed, just as RAYOID was just a few weeks ago. For the moment, I can tell you that all these projects are games that can be played by two players by modem and MIDI all with sound samples, etc. Also, I plan to support the monochrome orphan for next game. -------------------------------------------------------------------------- The development of RAYOID was no easy task! -------------------------------------------------------------------------- Here are some of the specifications I set for the game: - At least one game mode should work with only 512K of RAM - 60 images per second animation at all times - Sound samples at 6300 KHz - RAYOID should work without problems on a TT - Use of DMA sound on STE's and TT's - The game should be playable by modem at 1200 or 2400 bps without affecting the animation - Ability to play on two machines linked by MIDI cables - Single file for program, images, sounds and configuration data - Something for everyone: action and/or strategy - Multilingual: English and French for now. I wish I could support more! - Highest quality in the smallest details. "Shareware" is sometimes interpreted as "incomplete" software. I wanted to avoid this. RAYOID represents more than 20,000 lines of code, 95% of which are pure assembly. Add to that the many hours spent on graphics, sound samples, etc. to achieve ultimate quality in the smallest details. ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ RAYOID I - Action game - One-player - ST color (or TT in ST mode) - Minimum 512K RAM required - DMA sound on STE's and TT's RAYOID I is a personal adaptation of a well-known classic. The goal is to destroy asteroids before they destroy you. Using the "Customize keyboard" option, you can reassign the control keys to your taste. This is a welcome option for left-handers. Any key on the keyboard can be used except for those used by the menu system (up and down arrow keys, Return and Undo). By default, the controls are as follows: Left turn : Z Right turn : X Fire : Right Shift Reactor : / Brake : . Hyperspace : Space bar Pause : Esc Quit game : Undo If you make any changes, your personal configuration will be saved to disk when you quit RAYOID. From time to time, bonus objects will cross the screen. Get them fast as they will give you some extras. You get a replacement ship when you reach a score of 2000 points. Thereafter, you will get a new ship for every 5000 points (i.e. 7000, 12000, 17000, etc.). When you end a game with a score higher than the current top score, RAYOID will ask you to enter your name. You will also have the possibility to enter a personal message that will accompany your name in the main screen. The top score, the champion's name and message will be saved to disk when quitting. When either modem (or MIDI) mode is used (i.e. RAYOID II or III), the top scores achieved by each player on RAYOID I will be exchanged between the two machines and the highest of the two will become the current top score on both machines. For instance, if five players play RAYOID regularly, then the best player of the five will have his score displayed on the five computers. ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ RAYOID II - Keyboard - Action game (combat) - Two players - ST color (or TT in ST mode) - 1 Mbyte RAM required - DMA sound supported on STE's and TT's RAYOID II gets you against a human opponent in a fight where victory belongs to the most skillful of the two players. The goal of the game is simple, you must destroy your opponent before he destroys you! To do this, all you have to to is shoot at him with your photonic gun. Each successful shot reduces the energy level of your opponent's ship. When the energy level is down to zero, the ship is destroyed and you win a point. But different objects get in the way. Avoid asteroids (indestructible) and improve you ship relative to your opponent's by touching the nova. ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ RAYOID II - Modem (or MIDI) - Action game (combat) - Two players - ST color (or TT in ST mode) - 1 Mbyte RAM required - DMA sound on STE's and TT's - Hayes compatible modem (or two MIDI cables) This mode gets you against a human opponent, linked by modem, in a battle of skills. The ability to play by modem is a welcome feature for long winter nights (which are common here in Québec). The goal is simple: you must destroy your opponent before he destroys you. To do this, all you have to to is shoot at him with your photonic gun. Each successful shot reduces the energy level of your opponent's ship. When the energy level reaches zero, the ship is destroyed and you win a point. But different objects get in the way. Avoid asteroids (indestructible) and improve you ship relative to your opponent's by touching the nova. You can communicate with your opponent using the [Insert] key. To end communication and return back to the game, use the [Return] key. By default, the controls are as follows: Left turn : Z Right turn : X Fire : Right Shift Reactor : / Brake : . Hyperspace : Space bar Send message: Insert Quit game : Undo Of course, you can reassign these keys using the "Customize Keyboard" option and your configuration will be saved to disk when you quit RAYOID. ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ RAYOID III - Strategy and Action - Two players - ST color (or TT in ST mode) - 1 Mbyte RAM required - DMA sound on STE's and TT's - Hayes compatible modem (or two MIDI cables) -------------------------------------------------------------------------- Goal -------------------------------------------------------------------------- The object of the game is to conquer and take control of a space zone before your opponent. To do that, you must explore, colonize, attack enemy bases and defend yourself against your opponent's attacks. In the following text, the word "resources", when used alone, means human and energy resources. At the beginning of the game, your resources are limited. You have only one developed base, and so has your opponent. Each base also has limited resources. The resource level of a base is directly proportional to its rotation speed. However, a developed base has the ability to constantly increase its resource level. You use your bases to replenish your ship's energy and to recruit new colonies. Unfortunately, these actions also decrease the resource level of the base. One way to increase your resources rapidly is to establish new bases. To do this, you must leave colonies on asteroids or destroyed bases. But be aware that your enemy will do just the same while trying to stop your progression. Your ship is equipped to transport colonies that have been previously cryogenized. Cryogenization is the most economical way of transporting colonies through space. When you establish colonies, the colonists will develop the base using the raw materials produced locally. A base under development does not produce any resources. The time required for the complete development of a base is in direct proportion with the quantity of resources available on the base. So it is a good thing that a base gets developed as soon as possible for it to produce new resources that you can use later. -------------------------------------------------------------------------- The ship -------------------------------------------------------------------------- You play RAYOID III using your computer's keyboard. By default, the following keys control your ship: Left turn : Z Right turn : X Fire : Right Shift Reactor : / Brake : . Hyperspace : Space bar Invisibility : Delete Recruit colonists : F1 Colonize : F2 Mark position : M Refuel : R Send message : Insert Surrender : F10 Stealthy mine : L Abandon game : Undo The "Customize Keyboard" option allows you to reassign any key to control any of the actions above. If any change is made, your configuration will be saved to disk when you quit RAYOID. -------------------------------------------------------------------------- The photonic gun, your weapon -------------------------------------------------------------------------- Your ship is equipped with a photonic gun which enables you to destroy enemy targets (bases or ship). By default, the Right Shift key on your keyboard controls the photonic gun, but you can reassign this key as you wish. The effectiveness of your photonic gun depends on the highest level of development you have reached during the game. Your development level corresponds to the number of simultaneous bases present at any time. As your number of developed bases increases, the effectiveness of your gun increases accordingly. Therefore, the damages that can be caused by your gun will also increase. > Your photonic gun can only improve through a game; its effectiveness cannot decrease. This means that any gain in power is permanent during a game even if your number of developed bases decrease thereafter. -------------------------------------------------------------------------- The stealthy mine -------------------------------------------------------------------------- The stealthy mine is invisible for your opponent's eyes. When the opponent hit the stealthy mine, it will be completely destroyed and will be ejected in his escape shuttle. No shield can resist to a stealthy mine. Only one stealthy mine is available at any time. > When launched, the stealthy mine will have the speed and direction of the ship at this moment, and will keep these attribute. A good way to use the stealthy mine, is to launch it with a nul speed around one of your base. When the opponent will attacks this base, it have great chance to hit the hidden mine. -------------------------------------------------------------------------- The energy level gauge -------------------------------------------------------------------------- The energy gauge of your ship appears in the upper right corner. Your ship needs energy to operate. You lose energy when: - You put the reactor on - You are shot by your opponent - You use hyperspace - You activate the invisibility generator The greatest energy consumption occurs when you are shot by your enemy, especially by the mines shot at you by an enemy base when you penetrate its control zone. If you do so the ship's computer automatically raises protector shields to avoid the destruction of your ship. But the price to pay in terms of energy is high. If your energy level is too low for the shields to be raised, your ship will be destroyed and you will be ejected in the escape shuttle. > Hyperspace and the invisibility generator require a minimum energy level to operate. -------------------------------------------------------------------------- Fuel -------------------------------------------------------------------------- When the energy level of your ship becomes critical, you'd better refuel. To get new fuel, you must make physical contact with one of your bases and then press the appropriate key until the desired level is reached. By default, the [R] key is used to refuel, but still you can reassign this key as you wish. When you increase your ship's energy level by refueling you decrease the resources of the feeding base accordingly. > The lower the resources of a base, the longer it will take to refuel your ship. A base might even be too low on resources to give you any energy. -------------------------------------------------------------------------- The escape shuttle -------------------------------------------------------------------------- Your ship is equipped with an escape shuttle. If, for any reason, be it bad luck or poor skills, your ship is destroyed during the game, you will be ejected to the escape shuttle. Unfortunately, the shuttle has no navigation controls and you will wander aimlessly through space. > The cryogenic load is lost when the ship is destroyed. You must wait until the escape shuttle gets into the control zone of one of your bases for the salvage operation to begin. When the escape shuttle is recovered by one of your bases, a new ship will be made available to you. However, the base will then be left without any resources because a brand new ship requires much work and resources. > The escape shuttle is so small it cannot be seen or detected by your opponent. So, be careful because the destruction of a ship not only means a high cost in terms of resources, but you may also have to wait pretty long to be saved and your enemy can use this time to his advantage. -------------------------------------------------------------------------- Radars -------------------------------------------------------------------------- The control panel of your ship is equipped with two detectors looking like a compass. The detector with a blue pointer is used to locate the enemy ship. However, this detector has a limited range and if the enemy ship is out of range the detector will not react. > If your opponent activates his invisibility generator, your detector will not be able to locate him. The detector with the green pointer allows you to locate a position you have previously marked. By default, the [M] key is used to mark the position of your ship, but you can reassign this key using the "Customize keyboard" option. When a position is marked, the green pointer will always point in that direction. -------------------------------------------------------------------------- The electronic map -------------------------------------------------------------------------- The electronic map is critical during a fight. It helps you determine your strength relative to your opponent and allows you to check your opponent's progression, thus helping you make decisions. For an object (asteroid or base) to be shown on the map, visual contact must first be established with it. Thereafter, every change in this object will be automatically reflected on the map. That way, you will be immediately kept informed of the destruction of one of your bases. > Your position on the map is represented by a flashing white dot. -------------------------------------------------------------------------- Explore -------------------------------------------------------------------------- Visual contact with an object (asteroid or enemy base) is required for it to be shown on the electronic map. Therefore, exploration should be an important aspect of your strategy. By exploring, you create a map of the areas to conquer and you get a better view of your enemy's progression relative to yours. > The escape shuttle also has an electronic map. This means your map data will not be lost if your ship is destroyed. -------------------------------------------------------------------------- The invisibility generator -------------------------------------------------------------------------- Your ship is equipped with high technology items. One of these enables you to become invisible to your opponent. However, the invisibility generator has its disadvantages: it uses energy and it has no effect on enemy bases. On the other hand, it can be helpful in certain circumstances. If your ship does not have the minimum energy level required, you will not be able to activate the invisibility generator. For the same reason, the ship's computer will automatically deactivate the invisibility generator when the energy level is too low. > The invisibility applies only to the ship. The missiles stay visible. By default, the [Delete] key activates/deactivates the invisibility generator. However, you can reassign it. > As the technology is not totally mastered, the invisibility is not absolute. If you shoot or activate your reactor, your opponent will be able to locate you if in visual contact. -------------------------------------------------------------------------- Communicating with the enemy -------------------------------------------------------------------------- You can communicate with your enemy by using the subspace radio. By default, the [Insert] key is used for this, but you can reassign it to your liking. When you activate the radio, the game is suspended and you can send a written message to your opponent. Only the player who has started the communication can send a message or end the communication. > To end the communication, press the [Return] key. The color of the message indicates its origin. If the message appears in blue, it is from your opponent. A red message is from the ship's computer. > Use this function when you want to pause the game. You can also give your opponent the reason for the pause (coffee, baby crying, etc.). -------------------------------------------------------------------------- Asteroids -------------------------------------------------------------------------- Asteroids belong to nobody. They are available for colonization. Asteroids appears as brick-red dots on the electronic map. -------------------------------------------------------------------------- Bases -------------------------------------------------------------------------- Bases have two distinct states: - under development - developed Your bases are always green and your opponent's always blue. Important to know: - A base under development does not produce any new resources. - The more a base has resources, the faster its development will take place. - A base under development can defend itself against enemy attacks. - The rotation speed of an operational base (developed) will increase with the level of resources. -------------------------------------------------------------------------- Recruiting colonists -------------------------------------------------------------------------- Your ship is equipped for the transportation of colonies that have previously been cryogenized (frozen). Cryogenization is the most economical means to transport colonies through space. However, the maneuverability of your ship is much affected by the size of your load. The greater your load, the higher the energy level required to reach a certain speed. And you will be more vulnerable to your opponent's attacks. Your ship can accommodate eight cryogenized colonies. To recruit colonists, you must establish physical contact with one of your bases. When contact is established, press the [F1] key (default) as many times as you want cryogenized units. > Depending on the available resources on the base, the number of cryogenized units can be limited. For each cryogenized unit that you bring along, a light appears. These lights appear in the lower right of your ship's control panel. > The transportation of frozen units is not only for colonization purposes, but can be used to move troops from one base to another as required. -------------------------------------------------------------------------- Colonize -------------------------------------------------------------------------- Asteroids or destroyed enemy bases can be colonized by either player. Colonization starts the development of a new base. A base under development does not produce any new resources. A base under development uses all of its resources for its development in order to be operational and be able to produce new resources. > Bases under development are capable of defending themselves against the enemy. To colonize you have to transport cryogenized units. To do that, you just have to establish physical contact with the object to be colonized (asteroid or destroyed base) and press the [F2] key (default) to drop off one or more cryogenized units. -------------------------------------------------------------------------- Attacking an enemy base -------------------------------------------------------------------------- Enemy bases defend themselves when your ship penetrates their control zone whether they are under development or completely developed. The weapons they use are very powerful and can rapidly wreck your ship. Therefore, you must use some strategy to beat an enemy base. -------------------------------------------------------------------------- The end of the game -------------------------------------------------------------------------- There are many ways a game can end. When all bases of either player are destroyed and the player has no cryogenized colony left (which could be used to establish new bases), the game ends. In some instances, the player may realize that victory is not possible. In this case, he may surrender to his opponent by pressing the [F10] key. By doing this, he gives away victory to his opponent and a defeat will be added to his personal record. When the game ends, statistics on the game just played are presented. For each player, the total number of bases (developed and under development), the total amount of resources as well as the time spent in the escape shuttle (as a percent of total time) are displayed. When the game ends, the personal records of each player are updated with the results of the combat. The personal record of a player will be saved to disk when quitting RAYOID in a normal way. It is also possible to abandon an ongoing game by pressing the [Undo] key. In that case there will be no winner or loser and the players' personal records are not updated. Before doing this, maybe you should discuss it with the other player. Be fair! -------------------------------------------------------------------------- Your personal record -------------------------------------------------------------------------- Your personal record contains statistics which reflect the results of all fights in which you have participated. It shows you the number of victories and defeats as well as other interesting details, and gives each player an idea of the skills and experience of his opponent at the beginning of a new game. The personal record of a player is maintained and updated by RAYOID as long as the program can save to disk when the player quits the game. Be sure to write-enable your disk and to leave it in the drive. You can reset your personal record by choosing the "Reset personal record" option. In this case, RAYOID will ask for confirmation as all data will be lost forever. If you confirm the reset, you will have to enter your name. This name will be used to identify you in your fights with other players. From that point, RAYOID will summarize your victories and defeats as you improve. To give you a general idea of the experience and strength of a player, a medal system has been established. Medals indicate the real value of a player. For each victory, you climb up three steps in the hierarchy. For each defeat, you still go up one step to reflect the experience gained. -------------------------------------------------------------------------- Have fun! Raymond Hill GEnie : O.OKTAL (Thanks to Oktal) November 20, 1992 From the same author : TITED.ARC (or LZH) A small GEM program (or accessory) for viewing any ASCII files. It is fast and convenient. New -> TITED will be shipped soon as a full featured ASCII editor. Check out for it ! It has features you will find difficult to see in others products, even commercial ones, of the same kind (Mac like block selection, full UNDO, etc ... ). JOUTE.ARC (or LZH) Another game that can be played via modem. Its simple but funny. Must be see. Another shareware game. Move your tank, and be more speedy and tricky than your opponent to win. BLAKJACK.ARC (or LZH) A full GEM program (or accessory) that lets you play to BlackJack. But different from the others, it lets you script program that simulate a player. You can evaluate quickly different strategy to improve your play. Up to four players. When used as an accessory, this program can work in background, even if its window is not active. Let different scripts works for 100,000 turns, and see the result of each one !!! Maybe you will find how to win (or to lose the less..) !