@database Tetron.docs Alchemy Software Development 1992 Peter Fregon @node main "Tetron Main Help" @{" About Tetron " link about_tetron} @{" Quick Start " link quick_start} @{" Control " link control} @{" Options " link options} @{" Level Editor " link level_editor} @{" Thanks " link thanks} @{" About the program " link about_program} @{" Future versions " link future} @endnode @node about_tetron "About Tetron..." T E T R O N ########### # # # # # # Version 1.3 Tetron is a sort-of clone of the classic game T*tr*s. I first played this game on the Mac (whoops, didn't mean to swear). It was absolutely fabulous. Hours of potential study time went out the window. The DA version that came with it was great too. When I bought myself an Amiga, T*tr*s was one of the first games I looked for. But it was no good! The gameplay was all shot, and it was a tedious conversion. When I upgraded to Kickstart 2.xx and got a VXL-30 board, it wouldn't work!! It was a frantic search then for something in the PD/Shareware area. Arghhhh again! Nothing was good enough. All were either too slow, couldn't slide pieces, rotated on the wrong axis, or were unstable. The list went on. But there were a few pieces of software that shone through, included the great Tetrix with its two-player option. Twintris was good as well. But something still lacked. Mainly compatibility and gameplay. So I wrote Tetron. The basic game was finished in a few days, but then options started appearing. More and more appeared. Soon I was innundated with things to include. Add an option here, and option there. I hope you like this game, as I have tried to keep the nice feel of a fast moving game. If you play this game, please register. It is the only way the extra options will be released. A $10 registration is all I ask. Send cheques, money orders, etc. to Peter Fregon PO Box 188 Southland Centre Melbourne, Vic Australia Update: I can now be contacted via e-mail (my uni account was trashed) at Brimstone BBS (Alchemy). Use the following biggles@brimston.apana.org.au to get hold of me. The lastest version will be available on the BBS and on the major Amiga ftp sites- EUROPE: amiga.physik.unizh.ch US: wuarchive.wustl.edu.au OZ: archie.au @endnode @node quick_start "Quick Start..." To start a simple game quickly just press the New Game gadget on the main screen. @endnode @node control "Controls" For all modes esc - quits game p - pauses Below are the default keys for movement in the game. They can be changed with the Edit Keys option in the Options screen. At the moment only one player keys can be changed. For 1 player Keyboard 4 - move piece left 6 - move piece right 5 - rotate piece 2 - move piece down Joystick (in Port 1) Left - move piece left Right - move piece right Fire - rotate piece Down - move piece down For 2 player Left player a - move piece left d - move piece right s - rotate piece x - move piece down Right player 4 - move piece left 6 - move piece right 5 - rotate piece 2 - move piece down For 2 player with Two Joystick option selected Left player (joystick in Port 0) Left - move piece left Right - move piece right Fire - rotate piece Down - move piece down Right player (joystick in Port 1) Left - move piece left Right - move piece right Fire - rotate piece Down - move piece down @endnode @node options "Options" @{" Player Options " link player_options} @{" Other Options " link other_options} @{" Gadgets " link gadgets} @endnode @node player_options "Player Options" @{" One Player " link one_player} @{" One Player Level Challenge " link one_player_lc} @{" Two Player " link two_player} @{" Custom 1P Level Challenge " link custom_one_player} @endnode @node one_player "One Player" Standard T*tr*s clone. The aim is to get rows of blocks and to keep going as long as you can. The falling blocks can be rotated as they fall, allowing you to place them as you wish. If you get a complete row, it will disappear and all that is above it will fall down. @endnode @node one_player_lc "One Player Level Challenge" Here you are given levels which have already got blocks in them. Your aim is to clear out the level of these blocks. The levels do get hard, and can take ages! There are 10 levels to get through. @endnode @node two_player "Two Player" Play against an opponent on the same screen. Who will get the highest score? Check the control docs to see what keys you have to use. @endnode @node custom_one_player "Custom One Player Level Challenge" Play levels that have been designed with the Tetron level editor. @endnode @node other_options "Other Options" These are the various options available to you in the options screen. @{" Show Next Piece " link next_piece} @{" Show Score " link score} @{" Blocked Blocks " link blocked_blocks} @{" Psychodelia " link psychodelia} @{" Background " link background} @{" Statistics " link stats} @{" Two Joysticks " link two_joys} @{" Sound " link sound} @{" Less CPU " link less_cpu} @{" Fast Drop " link fast_drop} @endnode @node next_piece "Show Next Piece" Get a sneak preview of what the next piece will be. Can be very handy when planning a level. @endnode @node score "Show Score" Too embarrassed to show your score to anyone watching? Try turning this option off then. @endnode @node blocked_blocks "Blocked Blocks" Have the pieces look like they are made up of individual squares. Some people actually prefer this 8^) @endnode @node psychodelia "Psychodelia" Had a hard night drinking? Try this to relieve your brain. I take no responsibility for damage to keyboard by vomit. This option cycles the colours. @endnode @node background "Background" Took this out for the moment. Register and I might put it back in. @endnode @node stats "Statistics" For one player mode. Brings up a window while playing to tell you how many pieces of what kind have fallen, and the total fallen. @endnode @node two_joys "Two Joysticks" When playing in two-player mode, selecting this will make the joysticks control piece movement. Keyboard will not work. @endnode @node sound "Sound" Does the sound annoy you? Want to play mods in the background? Turn this option off then. NOTE: If you do play something in the background, the sound in the program will not come on again (strange AMOS). @endnode @node less_cpu "Less CPU" This will make the program multi-tasking friendly during play. But BEWARE, this can severely affect game play on later levels. Only POWER USERS should select this. 68000 users should probably not use this. @endnode @node fast_drop "Fast Drop" This makes the piece fall straight down to the bottom instead of moving it down one square. @endnode @node level_editor "Level Editor..." Now you can design your own challenge levels! The gadgets down the left side of the screen are for the ten levels. Click on the gadget of the level which you wish to change. In the middle of the screen is the drawing area. Just click on a spot to place a piece there, and click again to remove it. On the right hand side of the screen you have the option of saving the challenge levels (all ten). But you must have a filename in the text gadget at the bottom of the screen, otherwise the levels will not be saved. You are also able to clear the current levels of blocks, or clear all the 10 levels of blocks. Exit will return you to the options screen. To use your levels, you must select 'Custom 1P Level Challenge'. To load a custom challenge into Tetron, you must do it through the options screen. To do this enter the name of the file into the text gadget 'Custom Challenge' and click the gadget 'Custom 1P Level Challenge' even if it is already selected. @endnode @node gadgets "Gadgets" Near the bottom of the options screen you will see the following gadgets. @{" Save Configuration " link save_config} @{" Edit Keys " link edit_keys} @{" Clear High Scores " link clear_scores} @{" Level Editor " link level_editor} @{" Default " link default} @{" OK " link ok} @endnode @node save_config "Save Configuration" Saves the current setup. Next time Tetron loads it will look for this file and use it if found. The file will be saved as 'Tetron.config'. You can delete this file to get rid of you changes, or click 'Default' gadget to get back original settings. Your key settings will be saveds with this. @endnode @node edit_keys "Edit Keys" Can change the keyboard movement keys for one player games. You cannot use the 'esc' or 'p' keys as they are reserved for quit and pausing a game. To save these keys with your Tetron copy, press the Save Configuration gadget. To get back original settings, press Default gadget. @endnode @node clear_scores "Clear High Scores" Removes all the high scores. Now you can get a high score! @endnode @node default "Default" Returns all the options to the in-built defaults. Can be useful if you want to get back to the standard settings. @endnode @node ok "OK" Exits options. Extremely useful if you want to play the game. @endnode @node thanks "People I want to thank..." Justin Deeley for his support. Robert Wells for the samples. Leanne Taylor for playing the game occasionally. Wayne Johnson for his help with AMOS. All the beta testers -Justin Deeley -Grant Hampson -Pasi Ojala -John Baker -Peter Fregon (I did test it!) -Robert Wells -John Chapman -I think there were others, but can't remember them. Members of Alchemy Software -Tim Ferguson -Justin Deeley -Richard Jones -Robert Wells -and me!!!! The following groups I listened to while writing this -Butthole Surfers -Metallica -The Clash -Red Hot Chili Peppers -Ice T's Body Count C= for their computer (I want an A4000) Francois Lionet for AMOS <----- VERY IMPORTANT And all the people from net land 8^} especially comp.sys.amiga.advocacy @endnode @node about_program "About Program" The program has taken quite a bit of my time to write so far. I expect it will take even longer when I put the other options in. So far the AMOS program is about 6500 lines of code. I should fix a lot of it up, and I eventually will. Pity AMOS Professional doesn't seem to have AGA chip support. Strange, wouldn't you say? How will it go on A4000s and A1200s? @endnode @node future "Future versions..." These features (when completed) will only be released if people actually register their copy (apart from those who beta tested it - they get all the updates). So please register if you want the new versions up and about as soon as they are released. -Piece editor -Serial games NOTE: These options WILL be written! (eventually as Manuel says) It just requires a few people to register for them to be released into Shareware. @endnode