Loadstar 128 #10/q10.d81/t.zone 13

Text File | 1990-01-01 | 14.0 KB | 253 lines

                                 Z O N E   1 3

                                by Jon Mattson


     It is the middle of the Twenty-First Century and traffic problems as
we know them no longer exist.  This is due in large part to the complete
overhaul of the transit system, replacing all inner-city transportation -
including personal hover-cars and cabs - with a "robot cab" service,
electronically monitored by a Master Computer in each "zone".  The service
has been in place for nearly a decade now, and most of the bugs have been
worked out of it: people are generally happy with the result.

     This is a good thing, because, as a Trouble-Shooter for the service,
it is up to you to deal with problems as they arise.  Since you began the
job, you have had it pretty easy: they train you on the Zone78 MC (single
lane to Hicksville), and nothing ever happens there.  Life was good.

     The time has come now, though, for your initiation - your rite of
passage.  The word came in yesterday of your transfer to Zone13, the one
eyesore in the whole wonderful electronic scheme of things.  Current theory
is that it is an extradimensional nexus point that invites vacationing
gremlins.  Either that or the architects were on vacation when it was built
and left it to monkeys.  Whatever the case, Zone13 has by far the highest
incidence of break-down - both in the system and the TS's operating it.
They say that every TS has to survive a month on Zone13 before proving that
he can cut it anywhere.  Even the veterans speak grimly of the experience -
when they speak of it at all -  and the failures...  Come to think of it,
you don't know any.  Every TS has either succeeded at Zone13 or never tried
it.  You don't know what they do with the others...

     Of course, everyone knows that TS veterans exaggerate everything.  It
can't be as bad as all that - can it?


     ZONE13 is alternately a game, a puzzle, an addiction or The Thing That
Should Never Have Seen The Light Of CRT - depending on your point of view.
It is a game, because you are working against the clock to complete transit
circuits and earn points, in the form of dollars.  It is a puzzle, because
the mental challenge involved in trying to complete that task requires
logic and a very Rubik-view of the universe.  As for the other two
labels...  Well, I'll let you decide that for yourself.

     When you run the program, you will be greeted by a menu with five
options, including "Quit" (read: "Surrender").  Two of these - the
construction options - we will leave alone for the moment.  The other two
allow you to play the game, either from the beginning or from a level of
your choice.  The latter option allows you to dive right into a challenge
without working your way through the levels you may have already perfected.
 For the moment, we will assume that you pick the "play from start" option.

     The first level ("00") will load and, after a moment, appear on the
screen.  At any given time, your current dollar total for completing the
level will appear in the top left corner, and, after a brief pause so that
you can study your challenge, it will count down to a minimum of $5.00.
Obviously, it is in your best interests to finish each level quickly.  The
rest of the top line is taken up by a line showing which keys are active at
the time, in addition to the CRSR/SPACE or JOYSTICK2 combination.  Make
note of this: the top line will ALWAYS have this convenience no matter what
mode the program is in at the moment.

     Most of the screen is taken up by the current "puzzle".  It will be
made up of a Start Gate (which looks like a bit like a hangar deck), a Stop
Gate (which looks similar but has a bulky, lined construction to the rear)
and various other "circuits".  Very simply, your goal is to make certain
that the computer understands the path it must move the cab ("current
element" to the computer) from the Start Gate to the Stop Gate, as defined
by the other circuits.  Obviously, the path at the start of the level will
not be complete, or you wouldn't have a job to do.

     On the far right, you will see your Tool Box, made up of ten tools and
a Go sign.  A number beside each tool indicates how many your current box
contains - sometimes none.  A small flashing arrow will appear on the top
tool.  The joystick/CRSR keys control this arrow, moving it around and
allowing you to manipulate pieces.  To choose a specific type of tool,
simply point to its icon in the box and press fire/space.  A picture will
appear of it in the empty area between the level and your tool box; note
that, at the beginning, the picture will show the first tool, whether or
not there are any of it in the box.

     To use a tool, move the arrow to where you wish to put it on the main
screen and press fire/space again.  Assuming that any of that tool remain
in the box, it will be "stamped" down onto the circuit board.  Similarly, a
piece can be removed and replaced in the tool box by pointing at it and
pressing DELete.  Note that you do not have to keep going back and forth to
the tool box as long as you are working with the same type of piece: it is
assumed that you picked up all of them the first time.  Also note that you
can neither alter nor DELete a piece from the original level pattern -
these are colored in darker shades for quick identification.

     You will quickly discover that not all pieces fit when first placed.
This is where the RETURN key comes in: it allows you to rotate a piece,
90-degrees per press, to get it into the correct attitude.  During the
game, the F1 key is also active: it simply allows you to Quit, although
ending a game prematurely in this manner does not allow you to get on the
"high score" board.

     For the moment, let's examine the tools at your disposal.  There are
actually only four distinct types, but they come in four different colors,
representing different voltage levels.  Add this to the fact that each can
be rotated, and you have an impressive collection, indeed.  The four types
are as follows:

REDIRECTORS:  These look like elbow pipes, and come in four colors: red,
blue, green and violet.  If a current element of the same color hits the
open mouth of a redirector, it will change direction by 90-degrees,
following the indicated path.  If an element of the wrong color hits it or
ANY element hits it from the wrong side, it will simply pass right through
without being redirected in this manner.

TRANSMUTERS:  These look like straight pipes formed with two different
colors.  There are four different color combinations.  If a current element
hits an open mouth of the same color, it will be transmuted to the other
indicated color.  If it is the wrong color to begin with, it will be
unaffected.  Obviously, these circuits are two-way: a Red-Green Transmuter
going left to right, would change red elements travelling right to green
and green elements travelling left to red. (Think about it for a moment,
and it will make sense.)

REBOUNDERS:  This icon looks like a cyan octagon with arrows pointing in
every direction.  A Rebounder acts like a rubber band: ANY element hitting
it from ANY direction will reverse direction but will be otherwise
unaffected.

HARMONIZERS:  This icon looks like a yellow rectangle or badge with
truncated corners and a key emblem.  Each Harmonizer "tunes" the element
and breaks down the resistance between it and the final Stop Gate.  In
effect, it removes any Circuit Breakers (aocks) placed on the Stop Gate.
Each Harmonizer will work whenever an element of ANY color hits it from ANY
direction but is one-shot, vanishing after one use.

     As you can guess, from the last entry, a Stop Gate will sometimes have
one or more Circuit Breakers or "locks" (up to four).  These are indicated
by a line across either the top and/or bottom of the Stop Gate icon.  For
example, a line going half-way across the top of the icon would indicate
one lock; a line going straight across would indicate two; a second line
extended across the bottom of the icon, would indicate three or four.
There will ALWAYS be at least enough Harmonizers to remove all the Circuit
Breakers, either on the screen at the beginning or in your Tool Box.  The
trick is to decide where to place the latter so that the element passes
through them.

     Note that both the Start and Stop Gates are also shaded in one of the
four "magic colors".  The cab (current element) will always begin with the
color of the Start Gate; thus, you must not only make sure that it reaches
the Stop Gate but also that it is the right color when it does so.  And, of
course, it can only enter the Stop Gate through the open path, so direction
is also a factor.

     When you think you have the puzzle figured out, point to the Go sign
and press fire/space.  The current element will then run through your maze,
and you will see whether or not your confidence was justified.  Assuming
that you succeed, you will have the present dollar total added to your
score and proceed to the next (generally more difficult) level.  If you
were wrong, the cab will probably crash and the game will be over.
Occasionally, you may force the cab into an endless loop; in this case,
simply press F1 to admit defeat.

     Even if you have been reading this article very closely, you are
probably feeling a bit puzzled at the moment.  Never fear - the first five
levels on the disk have been designed to introduce you to each concept
gradually and are especially easy.  You will start by simply moving the cab
from point A to point B with two Redirectors, then changing its color with
Transmuters, then using Rebounders and finally adding in Circuit Breakers
and Harmonizers.  The second group of five levels expands on this
introduction with trickier puzzles.  After that, anything goes...

     But what happens if and when you have solved every puzzle on this
disk? Well, the fun is only just beginning!  Two options on the main menu
allow you to enter the Construction Set, either with a blank screen to
start from scratch or with an existing screen, which can then be altered
and/or re-saved as the same level or in a new order entirely.  The
Construction Set allows you to create your own puzzles and then save them
to disk.

     Note that it is a good idea to make a copy of the existing levels and
work from them first.  Aside from giving you ideas, they will "fill in the
gaps" between the levels you have created and prevent the game from ending
before all of your masterpieces have been attempted (the program assumes
that it has finished when it increments to a level which doesn't exist on
the disk).  Although the game includes 40 levels, you can have up to 100 (0
to 99), so you have lots of room to play around.  Just don't work with your
original disk - you may live to regret a misdirected "re-save" option.

     The Construction Set main screen works in a manner very similar to the
normal game.  The joystick allows you to pick pieces from the (unlimited)
Tool Box to the right and place them on the screen.  In the Construction
Set, no piece is immune to alteration or deletion - not even the Start and
Stop Gates.  Note that the latter are set with the F3 and F5 keys, since
they do not have icons in the Tool Box.

     When you have everything the way you want it, you can test out your
creation by pressing Go.  The Go sign will be replaced by a Stop sign, and
the cab will run through your maze as usual.  Unlike the game equivalent,
you can also stop a test run at any time by "clicking" again on the Stop
sign.

     Once everything is the way you want it, press F1 to go to the
Construction Set menu.  This will allow you to add/remove Circuit Breakers
(locks), pick how many parts are in the Tool Box for the level and
eventually save your creation to disk.  Note that the program will not
allow you to save if you have not included a Start Gate, Stop Gate or Tool
Box.  On the other hand, there is no way for it to check on your logic: it
is up to you to make sure that your level is solvable.  This menu also
allows you to return to the main menu, but this will destroy any level in
memory, so be sure to save first. The program will warn you about this, so
don't worry about leaving the Construction Set accidentally.

     As a matter of interest, the easiest way to design levels seems to be
as follows:

 1) Design the COMPLETED level in the Construction Set proper and make sure
that it runs okay by using the Go command.

 2) Add any Circuit Breakers.  Then make sure that it STILL works, by
choosing the "Continue Work" menu choice and using Go again.

 3) Choose the Tool Box option.  Since it allows you to see your level, you
can now decide which pieces to remove from the finsihed design and place in
the Tool Box.  Don't forget which ones you have picked.

 4) Choose "Continue Work" again and DELete the pieces you have placed in
the Tool Box.

 5) Optionally, go back to the Tool Box option and add in a few extra
pieces, just to confuse things. Adding a few extra pieces may make the
level harder, since the player will not be able to use the Tool Box to give
him clues to the solution.  Adding too many can make it easier, however,
since the player may find a simple way to "short circuit" your puzzle.

 6) Save your work.

 7) Optionally, to be on the safe side, go to the main menu and choose the
"Play from Screen XX" option to specifically try out your new level and see
it from the player's viewpoint.

     Again, this probably sounds much more complicated than it actually is.
 Try out the program, and it will quickly fall into place.  Who knows?
Maybe LOADSTAR could even put together a "Master's Collection" of tough
puzzles one of these days, composed of entries from readers.  What do you
think, Fender?  Any takers out there?

JM

FENDER HERE: I added eleven levels and found the construction kit very easy
to use.  I would definitely entertain publishing levels that readers send
in -- they only take up one block apiece!  I planned to add ten more but
deadline time changed my mind.  Let me see what clever puzzles you come up
with and we'll share them with our puzzle-loving readers.

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