Space War Text File: Version 3.0 Comments Improvements from Version 2.0: -finally diasabled key click -finally disabled key repeat -added orbiting asteroids... things to avoid!(shields don't help) -rsc windows fit on colour screen in low rez -can flip back and forth between menus -BUGS: -still get glitch when ships rotate, I don't understand... Improvements from Version 1.0: -game runs on colour monitor and mono monitor -Pause is available ('p') -additional features: variable thrust variable torp speed perfect vacuum or drag (orbits decay!) black hole reverse gravity Bug Fixes: -bounce mode no longer traps ships occasionally -distance function better, more accurate -smoother orbits -gravity wells are a little better defined -keys and variables are cleared beginning new level This game now runs in lo-res colour and monochrome. Monochrome is the more playable game, but the colour version is faster-paced. More comments on the colour version at the end of this. This game is designed for 2 ( TWO, no more, no less) players. It is best for you to find your favourite friend and learn to play together. After you get good enough, no one else will play with you. The help button on the opening menu will tell you how to control the two ships. Another useful key is 'shft-Q' to abort a game. Pause is done with the 'p' key. I feel that most features are self evident... However: Keyboard: Because I am not bright enough to disable the keyboard repeat, it still functions. Since any key stops repeating as soon as another key is touched, you will quickly learn to tap the keys, and not press/hold them. If you have an opponent who uses the repeat feature, you can hurt him badly by pushing your own keys at crucial times. Sound: Another thing I am not bright enough to do is disable the keyboard click. This sometimes ruins the explosion sounds. Details, details. Torpedoes: I have limited the number of torpedoes on screen to 5 per ship. This makes people a lot more cautious about wasting shots. Once the torpedoes hit something, and finish exploding, then you get to fire them again. The torpedoes are slow. Basically, your ships velocity, and then some. More fun than fast ones. Torpedo Display: A little picture shows the number of torpedoes available for firing. A quick peek at your enemies supply is also handy info. Score: Score is based on how many times you kill your enemy. However, if you are stupid enough to get killed in the process, then nobody gets any points. You have to stay alive until your opponents explosion is finished. An added feature is that if anyone dies by flying into the sun, not only does their opponent get a point, they also lose a point for being so stupid. It turns out that this is a great equalizer for when all seems lost. Explosions: Each torpedo can only hit 1 object. This means that to shoot two torpedos out of the sky you need to shoot two torpedos, or the same one twice (if you have time... it takes time to load those torpedo tubes!!) This also means that you can fly thru explosions with complete immunity (fun). Closed Universe: You bounce at screen edges. Open Universe: You wrap around the screen edges. Sun Kills: Contact with the sun kills ships and torpedoes. Sun Does not kill: The sun is there but you can sail right thru it. Torpedoes also fly thru it. Torpedo-Contact: Torpedoes actually have to hit in order to explode. Torpedo-Proximity: Torpedoes only have to get close. This mode is more fun, because you have a good chance of shooting torps out of the air, instead of wasting your shields ( assuming you have them) Shields On: Hitting the key will turn your shields on. Hitting it again will turn them off. It is an interesting exercise in coordination teaching some fingers to quickly repeat, and others to just tap it once. Flicking your shields on and off may stop a bullet, may not. While your shields are on, the ship is out of control. You cannot turn, thrust of fire a torpedo. This is extra incentive not to use shields. It is a lot of fun to send a few torpedoes towards your opponent, forcing him to use his shields, right when he needs to thrust to avoid the sun. Shields last a cetain amount of time. The number of torpedoes striking them does not affect their performance. I considered adding a display showing just how much shields you have remaining. I think the game is better without. You have to watch your opponent closely, and compare how long his shields have been on compared to yours. No gravity: As the name implies. The ships fly just like Asteroids. Null-G makes it easy to pound a few shots into your opponent, forcing him into his shields, and then hang around, continually bombarding him with shots. As long as you don't miss, you have an infinite supply of torpedoes. Weak gravity: Orbits are possible, but are slow. It is easy to power away from the sun, even from very close. Normal gravity: What can I say??? Strong gravity: A lot of your time will be spent maintaining a stable orbit. Is very difficult with a closed universe, cuz as soon as you hit the edge, you start bouncing out of control. Game length: You have a choice of: -15 Short -40 Medium -100 Long If the score is tied after the last round, then the last two levels are repeated, until someone wins. MY FAVOURITE MODE: -weak gravity -proximity torpedoes -shields on -sun kills -open universe SOME COMMENTS ON THE COLOUR VERSION: Since I am stuck using a colour TV for my colour monitor, things are a little blurry. Most of the ships have been flung/drawn in great haste, without to much regard for smoothness of rotation, and consistency of appearance. However, the game is playable. Since the screen dimensions are smaller, the ships take up a larger portion of it. This in turn makes the universe seem smaller. The game goes by fast, maybe too fast. After I've had more time playing the colour version I'll have a better idea of how to tune it in. POSSIBLE EXTENSIONS/FEATURES: -extended universe -invisble ship, same limitations as shields -faster torpedoes, selectable -hyperspace -reverse gravity -debris continues to orbit -multiple suns (tricky...) -moving sun (maybe multiple, in orbit about each other) Votes or comments are welcome. -------------------------------------------------------------------------- Here we get to the list of bugs (read 'features'); -there is a glitch as the ships rotate. I don't know where its coming from and it is the same for both ships. It makes the graphics look a little crude at times. It seems that when I use an MFDB, some lines get scrambled sometimes. It also happens in my colour version. HELP!! -do not shoot a torpedo when you are about to wrap around the screen. Because bullets are smaller than ships, they have farther to travel to the edge of the screen, and therefore, tend to blow up the ship that fired them. -ever since I enabled my fancy variable size to screen edge, sometimes in bounce mode, a ship will get trapped on the screen border. After a while, it gets thrown off, at its former velocity. To be thought about... -I would like to disable the keyboard click. (help, I don't want to use the control panel. If anyone has a chunk a C-code they can throw my way.) -I would also like to disable the keyboard repeat, so people never try to use it.Again, if anyone has a chunk a C-code they can throw my way... -I am having small problems with resource windows: They don't redraw what I had under the window when I called them. I also get small glitches when using the dialogs and turning buttons on and off. Where are these coming from??? Do I need to tell the computer where my screen is? (??physbase etc) ---------------------------------------------------------------------------- I had a lot of fun writing this. (lot of time too!) Could you please tell me what you think about it, along with any bugs you find. I am also interested in any suggestions or extra features. Warren Long phone: (306)-955-1237 78 Carleton Dr. Saskatoon Saskatchewan S7H 3N6 CANADA