AMOS ASTEROIDS 20/July/91  Issue 2 
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                 (Ramos1.3 and compiled versions)
				
             Public Domain By Mike Widdess 0494-451272
	
1. Introduction							

Here are four versions of the old Asteroids game, first seen in
arcades in the late 1970's, and then on the Atari console. 
All the features are implemented, except hyperspace, which I regard as
a waste of processor power.
On Version 1 and 2 all graphics are computed rather than drawn by an
artist.
On versions 3 and 4 the computed sprites from version 1 were pasted
onto the screen,saved into 2 IFF files for sprites (4 colour),
bobs (16 colour) and touched up in DPaintII, and then converted back
to a sprite bank by 2Iff_to_Ast6.amos, which is also on the disk.	

Versions 2 and 4 are compiled using version 1.0 of the amos compiler.
The source code is versions 1 and 3, no changes have been made to
compensate for the timing differences of the compiled versions. 


2. Loading

2.1 Booting
The disk should be write enabled to allow high scores to be saved.
Reset or power on the machine with disk in internal disk drive. 
The disk will autoboot, display README file.
When you exit the README program then the selection menu will load
automatically. To get back to the selection menu, key Ctrl and C 
simultaneously. The menu will reload shortly.

2.2 From Workbench
The disk should be write enabled to allow high scores to be saved.
Boot your normal Workbench, place the Asteroids disk in any drive 
double click on the disk, the Mikewid drawer, and one of the Amos icons
and the selected program will load.

The Icons in the Mikewid drawer are as follows.

    AstMenu.amos    The Selection Menu
    Ast29.amos      The original style 4 colour version.
    Ast29_C.amos    The compiled version of Ast29
    Ast39.amos      The 16 colour version
    Ast39_C.amos    The compiled version of Ast39
    Readme          This File
	
When running from your workbench beware of low memory if you only
have 512k, your workbench may need more memory than the boot disk.

Choose the version you want to try, from the menu. 
(the sixteen colour compiled version is probably the best).

2.3 From Amos
Load Amos1.3 as normal.
The programs and data files are all in the mikewid drawer.
Files needed to run are Ast*.amos, title.iff, palette.iff,
asteroids.hi, mfriff.abk, all files must be kept in the same drawer.

Ast6.abk is the sprite bank of the 16 colour version, not loaded,
as the bank is automatically saved with the program.

3. Playing the game.
	
The object of the game is to destroy as many levels of rocks
as possible, and avoid and destroy the alien ship which appears
when there are less than 4 rocks left, and you miss 4 times
in a row.

The game is played with a joystick in port 2.
    Left=       Rotate Left
    Right=      Rotate right
    Fire=       Shoot
    Forward=    Thrust - the ship will gradually accelerate while the
                stick is forward, to stop rotate 180 degrees
                and thrust again, the ship will decellerate gradually 
                while the stick is forward.	

The best tactic is to stay in the centre of the screen rotating
and firing, and only thrust to escape the alien ship, get behind
it and shoot it.

4.Scoring

    Large asteroids      -    100 
    Medium asteroids     -    200
    Small asteroids      -    300
    Alien ship           -    10000

    Extra ship every 20000

There is a high score table on disk. If you wish to start the 
high scores from scratch, delete mikewid/asteroids.hi,
a new version will be created with scores of 1.

The game disk must be write enabled so that high scores can be saved.
There is no way round this, other than alter the program.