Copyright: Version 2.0


General Game Information
 Overview

Bustout! is a shareware game based on the classic arcade game Breakout!.  However, it is NOT just a simple clone.  Bustout! has much more play value that just breaking brick walls with a ball. Click on the lightning bolt to find out more.


Shareware
Shareware is software that you can try before you buy.  You pay the author a fee if you decide to continue to use the program.


Game Password

You need a password to play levels 5 through 10 of Bustout!

You can obtain the password by sending US $6.00 to me at my mailing address.

 I will mail you the password within 2 to 4 weeks.  You then enter the password to enable the FULL version of Bustout!  Click on the dynamite to learn more.


Breakout!
Breakout! was a popular arcade game of the late 1970's and early 1980's.  You hit a ball with a paddle to break through brick walls and score points.  It was simple, but lots of fun and addictive.


 Author Information

My mailing address

Timothy G. Baldwin
Oasis Software Route 645
Diggs, Virginia 23045
USA

My Compuserve E-mail address

72240,3372

My Home Phone Number

(804)-725-7449

Questions or comments only, the password will not be given out over the phone.


Bustout! Festures
Game Features

Bustout! has ten levels of play.  Each level requires you to complete a task before advancing to the next level.  You are given six tries ("balls") to complete each level.

Game play is simple.  You serve a ball and use the paddle to move the ball and keep it in play.  The ball strikes various objects on the screen and things  happen -- Some good and some bad.  You quickly learn which objects are good to strike and which should be avoided.

I could tell you what to expect on each game level, but this would destroy some of the play value of finding  out on your own.

To enable you to see if Bustout! is the type of game you might want to own, the FREE version allows unrestricted play of the first 4 levels.  If Bustout! appeals to you, you  can enable the FULL version of the game by entering in a password.  Click on the  Happy Face to learn more about the password.

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Entering the Password

You enter the Bustout! password as follows:

1.  Click on the Password menu item.

2.  Click on Enter Password.

3.  Enter the password into the edit box exactly as written in my letter to you.

4.  Click the OK button.

The following then happens:

1.  The FULL version of Bustout! is enabled.  See the window title bar.

2.  The Password menu item is disabled.  It becomes gray.

3.  A small file, Bustout.ini, will be written to your hard drive.


Bustout.Ini File
A small file in the Windows main directory.  It contains a copy of the password so that Bustout! can run in the FULL version in the future without the need to re-enter the password.


Password Menu

There are two selections in the Password Menu.

Enter Password

Displays a dialog box to enter the password.

Get Password

Displays a dialog box that tells you how to obtain the password to play the FULL version of Bustout!


Options Menu

There are two selections in the Options Menu.

Sound

A toggle to turn off or turn on the game sound.  When the check mark is next to Sound, this means that game sound is turned on.  Click on Sound to turn off or turn on the game sound.

Skip to Level

Displays a dialog box to let you jump over levels of Bustout! already completed.  This is provided so that you do not have to play all the previous Bustout! levels again and again to go back to the one that you are trying to beat.  In the FREE version of Bustout!, you cannot enter in a level over 4.  The initial value in the edit box is the highest level completed.


Game Menu

There are two selections in the Game Menu.

New Game

Click on this or hit the F2 key at any time to play a new game of Bustout!

Exit

Exits the game.


Playing the Game

Starting a Game

Press F2 or click on New Game in the Game Menu.

To start a game on a game level above Level 1, click on Skip To Level in the Options Menu and select the desired level first.

Pausing a Game

Click the right mouse button.

Resuming a Paused Game

Click the right mouse button when the cursor is over Bustout!'s game window.

Serving a Game Ball

Click the left mouse button.

A ball will appear if you have any remaining per the Status Bar.
Some levels allow more than one ball in play at a time.

Moving the Paddle

Move the mouse right or left to move the game paddle.

Winning the Game

Keep the ball in play using the paddle.  Do not let the ball reach the bottom of the game window where it will be destroyed.

You can affect the direction of ball travel by moving the paddle so the ball strikes  the left side, middle, or right side of the paddle.  Each area of the paddle has a different effect on the ball.

On each level, try and avoid the "bad" objects, while destroying as many bricks as possible.  Try and hit the "good' objects.  Once you complete the game level "task", the level exit box will appear.  Hit the box with the ball to escape to the next level.

When you complete all 10 levels, you win the game!  See Strategy and Hints for more information.


Strategy and Hints

Try and direct the ball to a specific area of a brickwall and smash all the way through.  Once the ball breaks out to the other side of the wall, the wall will prevent the ball from returning to the bottom of the screen until many of the wall's bricks have been destroyed by the ball.

Playing more than one ball at a time is more difficult and risky, but you may find it easier to complete a game level that otherwise appears to be very difficult.


Status Bar
The Status Bar at the bottom of the Bustout! game window provides information about the menu commands, tells you what game level you are playing, and tells you how many balls you have left to play on that level.