====================================================================== Welcome to Robouldix! An Action puzzle game Brought to you by -*- The Terminus Team -*- ====================================================================== DISCLAIMER This software is provided 'as-is', without warranty of any kind, either expressed or implied. In no event will we, the Terminus Team, be liable for direct, indirect, incidental or consequential damages or data loss resulting from the use or application of this software. The entire risk as to the results and performance of this software is assumed by you. === Introduction This is the demo version of our payware game, which goes by the name of Robouldix. If you do like the game and would like the full version, please refer to the section "How to register." We have put in a substantial amount of time in creating this game, and have done our best to make it as good as possible. As far as we know there is no game based on Boulder Dash that is as advanced as ours. Some facts about the game: The game uses 32 colour graphics. The game senses and adepts to PAL and NTSC. The screen is updated fifty times per second (or sixty if you are a NTSC user) There are over 500 different objects in the game. Where we use the word "object" to refer to almost anything in the game. That is a monster is an object, and so is a wall, a diamond, a door, or whatever. A great many of these object have several animation frames. The game contains about 150K graphics and about 150K music data. === Requirements This game needs at least one megabyte of memory. Other than that it should work on all Amiga configurations. You may start the game from either CLI or Workbench. Or you may just unpack the archive to an empty, installed disk and boot from it. If the game does not start up correctly try to free up more memory for it. Memory can be pretty tight on a bog standard one meg machine. If nothing else work, put the game on a floppy disk an boot start it, this should give more than enough memory. It is possible to install and run the game from your harddisk. We have tested it on A500, A600, A1000, A2000, A3000 and A4000 without any problems. The various machines we have tested the game on have had a wide variety of different add ons. So it ought to work on just about any Amiga configuration you may have. If it does not work on your Amiga please refer to the section "How to report a bug." === How to play the game. Most likely you have already tried the game, since few read the manual first. But here are some explanations of differents things. First of all lets go over the controls. The joystick: Up, down, left and right does what you would expect :-) The button have a couple of uses: If you press the button and pull the joystick in a direction one of two things will happen. 1) If the object you "point" Rob (the main character) at is a solid, non takeable object, then Rob will try to push the object away from him. If the object is pushable, and not to heavy it will be moved. This is also the way you operate certain things, such as switches. 2) If the object is something that Rob may pick up it will disappear. And if it is not just a valuable it will appear in Robs inventory. If you hold down the button without pulling in a direction and arrow will start to flash on the scoreboard. It will move about the three icons that are located on the left of the scoreboard. If you release the button while the arrow is over the first icon you will trigger whatever object you have choosen as the "Fast choice" in the inventory meny. The same thing happens for the second icon, only that you trigger the "Second choice" from the inventory. If you release the button over the "i" icon you will enter the inventory. The keyboard: M & S Displays an option screen for the SFX and music. You may select; "Music & SFX" if you want both music and soundeffects. And "Music", "SFX" or "Silcence" if you prefer to hear only one type of sounds, or none at all. P Pauses until you press your joystick button. Left shift Brings up the inventory menu. Left alt Triggers whatever object you have choosen in the "Fast choice" from the inventory Left Amiga Triggers whatever object you have choosen in the "Second choice" from the inventory Esc. Brings up an option menu, where you may; "Restart level" which lets you start over a level if you are having difficulties. "Visit DOS" which pauses the game and returns you to the workbench screen where you may go about your business as usual, and once you want to return to the game you just click on the close gadget of the window that says "Close to play Robouldix." Or you may choose "Exit to intro" which brings you back to the intro screen, where you may select another level to play. And last but not least, you may choose "Change Level" which enables you to skip to any of the six levels that are included in the demo version. The main object of the game is to collect enough valuables to open the exit so that you may proceed to the next level. Only certain valuables counts towards the opening of the exit, and certain of these are worth more or less exitpoints. The number of exitspoints that you need to collect before finish the current level is displayed in the counter left of the ":D" on the scoreboard. Certain exits may open or close on other occations. And there exists hidden exits which leads to bonus levels. For each level you have a certain amount of time to collect the valuables and get to the exit. The time is displayed to the right of the "T:" on the scoreboard. Note that the timer counts at different speeds on different levels. === Hints and descriptions about some of the things you will encounter Since this is in many ways a game of exploration we will not reveal the purpose of every object you may encounter. But we will tell you a little bit about a few of them... The different diamonds you find will give different scores and exitpoints. The basic blue diamond give five points towards your score and decreses the exitpoint counter with one. Diamonds of other colors give more or less points. The switch on level one manipulates the direction of the yellow arrow in the wall below the skulls. The arrow in itself is a directional doorway. On level one the exit is obstructed by a box with green bars in it. To remove this you need to lure monsters into it. Once two monsters have entered the box it will explode. There are two hidden blue diamonds on the first level. There may be more on other levels... Pushing the right object on level three will give you a shower of diamonds. There is a exit to a secret level on level three. There is another on level four. === What is missing in this demo version? Several features are deliberatly removed from the demo version to encourage you to register, and recived the real version. The following is a list over extras that may be found in the real version (some features might not make it in to the final version.) The two player option is removed. You will get save:able highscore. Overall and for each level. Support for multibutton joysticks and the ability to use the keyboard instead of a joystick. The real version features about 200 levels, many more monsters, weapons, treasures, bonuses. This demo version utilizes about 40 different objects in the game, whereas the real version features about 500 objects! The graphics and sound effects are being redone right now, so they will be even better in the final version. Well, basically you get *lots* of extras if you do register the game. If there is a sufficent level of interest (read: if we get enough money :-) there will be an AGA version, a level editor, and further enhancements (that may or may not cost extra.) === How to report a bug. If you find a fault in the game, then *do* report it to us as quickly as possible so that we will be able to fix the error. Try to write down as much as possible about how the bug manifested it self and what you did to get it to appear. Try to include a description of your system, for example what sort of processor you have. And any other information that you think might prove beneficial to us when we shall track down the error. If there is a fault while the game starts up or when it tries to load a new level startup the game with a "debug" argument, ie "Robouldix Debug" (this only works from CLI). You will then get some numbers on the score board. Include which number that the last displayed when you report the bug. Finally send all that information to us using one of the options from the "How to get in touch with the authors" section. === How to register. Bugreports and wishlist for further features are quite welcome. Especially if they are accompanied by a registration fee :-) If you do register, please consider including a brief outline about what sort of a Amiga system you use, and tell us what you liked or disliked about the game. This is ofcourse not necessary, but might be of use for us in the future. === If you live in Sweden please use the following information to register: Ni registrerar er genom att betala in 185:- på postgiro 637 73 78-2 med följande betalningsmottagare; Patrik Grip-Jansson Bygården, Slöta 521 97 Vartofta Under "Meddelande till betalningsmottagare" skriver ni "Registerings- avgift för Robouldix" följt av erat namn och adress. === If you live in Scandinavia use the following information to register: Either send us 190skr (swedish crowns), or whatever that amounts to in you local currency in an registered letter. Transfer 200skr to this postal giro number 637 73 78-2 with the following address; Patrik Grip-Jansson Bygården, Slöta 521 97 Vartofta (The extra 10skr is to cover our expenses for the transfer.) === If you live elsewhere in the world. The easiest and the most inexpensive way for both parts is if you send cash in a registered letter. If you use this method of payment, the registration fee is US$27 (see the following list for a few other currencies.) If you prefer to send an international cheque you have to add US$8 to the registration fee (yes, it is that expensive for us to cash foreign cheques!) If you find any other way to send us the registration fee make sure that: A) We can actually collect the money (for example personal cheques from USA is of little or no use to us) and B) that you inquire how much it will cost us to collect the cash, and add that amount on top of the registration fee. All around a registered letter with the fee included in bills should be the safest, cheapest and best way to register. The registration fee in a couple of other currencies is as follows (if you want to send the fee in an other currency make sure that it is the equivalent of about 215skr (swedish crowns)) DM 45 Francs 160 Brittish Pounds 18 User groups can contact us for a better price if you get several members to register at the same time. === Please note that we will not be sending out the full versions of the game until after 14th of August 1993. This is to ensure that we have had the time to fix any bugs that are reported in this demo version, and so that we have time to add features that might be requested. However, all persons that pay a registration fee before that date will recieve 20 extra levels as a special bonus! After the release date we should ship the game within a week after recieving your registration fee. === Credits This game was programmed by Svante Berglund and Patrik Grip-Jansson. The final touches on the graphics were made by Andreas Björck. The music was made by Martin Eklund. === How to get in touch with the authors Patrik Grip-Jansson Svante Berglund Bygården, Slöta Skiftingegatan 24A 521 97 Vartofta 633 54 Eskilstuna Sweden Sweden Phone : +46 515 303 22 Phone: +46 16 111 337 BBS & Fax: +46 515 300 95 Fido: 2:203/418.0 Fido: 2:203/418.3 Internet: patrik_jansson@bad.se === And please... If you are offered a pirated version of the full game, refuse to accept it and register so that you get your own version. The future of the Amiga is up to us, the users. If we do not pay for our programs no one will make any in the future. If you do like a game there is no excuse what so ever for playing a pirated version of that game!