This is the readme file for Alien Flux, version 1.4a (released 8th August 2003).
In this file you will find specific details of system requirements, and what to do if something goes wrong with your game.
Fixes in 1.4b
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* Now Alien Flux is an UNLOCKABLE DEMO - no need to download a separate demo version, you can just unlock the game and start playing!
* Full version now Webstartable
Fixes in 1.4a
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* Fixed crash on PpenGL1.1 and 1.2; 1.3+ drivers were not affected.
Fixes in 1.4
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* Now detects if your game crashed unexpectedly
* Attempted Matrox fix with gamma correction (untested)
* New directional thrust keys
* New auto-smartbomb control
* New auto-shields control
* New acceleration & deceleration adjusters
* Ported to LWJGL 0.7
Fixes in 1.3c
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* Fluffies are now safe for a quarter of a second after rescue
* Red title screen colours
* Now definitely works on non-English Windows installs (eg Russian, Hebrew, Polish, etc) ;)
* Score only invalidated if performance is consistently below 80% during game action
Fixes in 1.3
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* Now has Rookie game mode, which is much easier
* Now works without a sound card (not tested)
* No longer displays score when you destroy aliens with your shields (you never scored points anyway)
* Fixed alt-tab
* Some smaller stability fixes
* Now works on non-English Windows installs (eg Russian, Hebrew, Polish, etc)
Fixes in 1.2 (not released)
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* [FULL GAME] Fixes crash at the start of level 25
* [FULL GAME] Internet hiscores are now invalidated if a slowdown dialog appears after your game. This is to level the playing field - Alien Flux is a *lot* easier when it's running at half speed!
* [FULL GAME] Pyramids are now slighly faster
* [FULL GAME] Mushrooms now res-in 50 pixels closer to the player and have 100% accuracy instead of 80%
* [FULL GAME] Reduced the points for destroying a Minelayer and also the Cloud
* [FULL GAME] Switched to new registration code that can be moved to other systems
* [DEMO] The game now exits when you click on Buy Now instead of hanging around
Fixes in 1.1
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* [FULL GAME] Now we record bungled rescues and send them to the hiscore server, so we can pile ridicule on you more effectively
* Fixed a problem where if you had a 16-bit desktop the game would fail to run and claim you didn't have an OpenGL card
* Fixed a problem where the game started OK but on clicking New Game it just went black and filled the log up with a bunch of endless repeated error messages
Technical Notes
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Alien Flux comes in two versions, the Java(tm) 2 version, and the Windows-only version. Right now the Java version runs on Windows and Linux computers, and is launched using Java Webstart instead of a traditional download.
Alien Flux uses OpenGL technology to draw its graphics, and OpenAL technology to play its sounds.
All of this is held together with the Light Weight Java Game Library (LWJGL).
Alien Flux System Requirements
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Optimal Requirements
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The game will run exactly as intended with a system that meets the following specification:
Windows 95 OSR2, Windows 98, Windows ME, Windows2K, Windows XP
500MHz processor (550MHz for Java version)
3D card with hardware accelerated transform & lighting (T&L) (GeForce, Radeon, etc)
OpenGL1.4 drivers
DirectX 5.0
48MB of free RAM
DirectSound3D-compatible sound card
two button optical mouse
a keyboard
20MB of hard disk space
Minimum Requirements
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The game will run with these minimum requirements but won't be as slick:
Windows 95 OSR2, Windows 98, Windows ME, Windows2K, Windows XP
300MHz processor
3D card without hardware accelerated T&L (TNT, TNT2 etc)
OpenGL1.1 drivers
DirectX 5.0
24MB of free RAM
DirectSound-compatible sound card
20MB of hard disk space
a keyboard and mouse
If You Have A Problem
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Your first and best source of help is the our website, at http://www.puppygames.net where we encourage you to register on our discussion forums. Someone may have already encountered the problem you are having and solved it so do have a look through the posts. We will from time to time collect frequently asked questions and answers and put them in our Support section for easy reference.
Alternatively you may email support@puppygames.net for a direct reply to your problem. We will endeavour to solve your problem as soon as we feasibly can.
When you send us a request for support by email it is *critical* that you supply us with as much information about your computer as you are able to and what you were doing that might have caused the problem.
At the very least we need to know the following:
- The game title (Alien Flux) and version number (in the About window)
- Your operating system
- Your processor (Intel or AMD or whatever) and its speed
- How much RAM is in your system
- Your graphics card brand name and model
- Your sound card brand name and model
- Driver versions for your graphics card and sound card
- Any other pertinent information about your system
- A description of the problem and when it occurs
- If you are playing the registered version, we will need your registration details (name and address)
In addition we would be very grateful if you could attach the two log files in your Alien Flux installation directory to the email, and anything else you think might be important.
If you need any assistance gathering this information we'd be glad to help you find it - just ask,
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Java and the Java Coffee Cup Logo are trademarks or registered trademarks of Sun Microsystems, Inc. in the U.S. and other countries.
OpenGL is a registered trademark of Silicon Graphics Inc.
OpenAL is a registered trademark of Creative Labs Inc.
Alien Flux is (C) 2003 Shaven Puppy Ltd
Puppy Games is a trademark of Shaven Puppy Ltd
Shaven Puppy Ltd is Registered in England no 03956602 Registered Address 1 Oakwood Parade London N14 4HY Directors C Rychlik-Prince & C Rychlik-Prince
