AmTank ~~~~~~ by ~~ Rubber Duck Software ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Version 1.10 (Shareware) ~~~~~~~~~~~~ ~~~~~~~~~~~ Unregistered ~~~~~~~~~~~~ Table Of Contents ================= 1. Getting Started --------------- 1.1 Story 1.2 Requirements 1.3 Installation & Loading 2. Controlling and playing the game -------------------------------- 2.1 Options Screen 2.2 Main Game 2.3 Scores Screen 3. Registering ----------- 3.1 Benefits of registering 3.2 How to register 3.3 Registration Form 4. Coming Soon ----------- 4.1 Enhanced PC Version 4.2 Other RDS releases 5. Changes To Latest Version ------------------------- 5.1 v1.02 5.2 v1.10 [1] Getting Started =================== (1.1) Story ----------- It's always the same isn't it! There you are minding your own business, just enjoying a peaceful drive through the country in ya' little tank, and suddenly you come across another tank. You tense your muscles prepared for anything but ever conscious that this could end in annhilation. Your tanks pass...it's going to be okay. Then, a distant voice can be heard from inside the other tank, "Call that a tank ya' rectum faced pigmy!!!" That's more than you are prepared to take. You move to a good firing position, take aim and...Game On! How many times have we heard that story? Or at least...that's one way it might have started. The other (perhaps more likely) explanation is... There you were in the pub, minding your own business when you feel a jolt from behind and suddenly the contents of your glass have made an unscheduled excursion to the South. Not only that, but your favourite top has now got the most blatant stain on it! You turn around and search for the fiend you commited this most vicious of acts. You're not sure...it was either that one or that one. You approach the first. "Did you spill my pint?" Next thing you know, you're in your favourite Sherman tank out in the lovely Staffordshire countryside and it's time to remove this scum from the face of the Earth. I present, Am Tank. (1.2) Requirements ------------------ To run AmTank, you'll be excited to know, the minimum requirements are as follows: * Amiga 500 or better. (It may work on the A1000... Let me know!) * A mouse. That's it! Amazing huh? You may think "well it's probably not very good then"...well, wait and see. (1.3) Installation & Loading ---------------------------- If you have a hard drive, I recommend that you run "HD-Install". This is simply because I would like to think that AmTank is good enough for you to consider keeping on your hard drive. NO, no, sorry, that's not it! It's because it loads faster...that's why! Please note: The HD-Install Program will ONLY work if you have first booted from your Hard Drive. Do not try to run the program if you have booted from the AmTank disk. Please contact me if you have any problems. If you do run the HD-Install program, everything will be copied to the directory of your choice and setup automatically. If you don't have a hard drive, you can run AmTank from THIS VERY DISK. Do, however, close off any applications that might be running (unless you have vast amounts of chip ram.) Then just go right ahead and double click that (fantastic) icon. [2] Controlling and playing the game ==================================== (2.1) Options screen -------------------- After a short time you will be presented with the imaginitely titled Options Screen. Here, you can (guess what) change a few options. So it's not just a clever name. The buttons: PLAYER1 - This holds the name of Player One. To change it simply click inside and type in the new name. You are limited to eight characters (sorry.) Important: When you have typed the name you must either press return or click the mouse before you can continue selecting. PLAYER2 - Exactly the same as the above but for Player Two. MOUNTAIN HEIGHT - If you click in here, the words will be replaced by a solid red bar. This can then be dragged from left to right whilst the value to the left varies from 1 to 99. Once you are happy with the value, simply click the mouse button again. Important: This value only alters the MAXIMUM possible height that the landscape can reach. Since it is random, it is possible to select a vlue of 99 and still have a relatively flat landscape. (Uncommon though!) AIR RESISTANCE - Clicking in here will invert the state from OFF to ON and vice versa. With Air Resistance Off (The Default), the shot will behave as a projectile in a perfect vacuum at the surface of the Earth. If it is on, then the shot will be SERIOUSLY affected by air resistance at approximately twice that of real life. Why? Simple, it's more fun. SOUND EFFECTS - Again, this is a two state option. If those booms, bangs and other twiddly bits are just a little too annoying then switch them off here. BATTLE - If you are happy with the above options, click here...and prepare for battle. QUIT - If you have had too much fun for one session, or you loaded AmTank by mistake (HOW?) or you just want to try it out, click here and you will be asked to confirm if you want to quit. AM-TANK - These words (at the bottom of the screen) are a doorway to a land of discovery. Can you discover the secret mouse key combination that will allow you to enter the credits? (Blatant sarcasm.) (2.2) Main Game --------------- When you have selected 'Battle' from the options screen, after a short wait, the game begins. To control the game you simply use that rodent which is sitting next to your Amiga. You can only interact with the proceedings when the control panel is on screen. <- POWER - "Decrease Power" Click here with the left mouse button to reduce the power value of your shot by one. If you use the right mouse button it will go down by 5. The minimum value is 10. -> POWER - "Increase Power" Click here with the left mouse button to increase the power value by one. The right mouse button will increase the value by 5. The maximum value is 250. <- ANGLE - "Decrease Angle" Click here with the left mouse button to reduce the angle of your turret by one. As before the right mouse button will reduce the angle by 5 degrees. The minimum value is zero. -> ANGLE - "Increase Angle" Click here with the left mouse button to increase the angle of your turret by one or with the right mouse button for a step of 5 degrees. The maximum value is 90 degrees. VIEW - There are 4 arrowed buttons around the word View. These scroll the main screen in the appropriate direction. This allows you to locate your enemy and consider the path of your shot. FIRE - When you are happy with your choice of Power and Angle, click here to send a message on its way to your enemy. MOVE TANK - Here there are 2 buttons which allow you to move your tank left or right. You are however limited to the immediate area around the tank. You can however squash some of the land around you. PLAYER - The current player's name resides here. ESCAPE - No, there is no button labelled Escape. However, if you press the Escape key (while the control panel is in view) you will be returned to the Options Screen. (2.3) Scores Screen ------------------- When you have destroyed the enemy, or come to an unfortunate demise yourself, you will be presented with the Scores Screen. Here is a tally of the wins of both players. These scores will remain until either one or both of the names are changed or you quit out of the game. [Since version 1.10 of the game, there is now a helicopter in the battle arena. If you manage (by skill or by chance) to hit the chopper, you will be awarded a bonus point.] LEFT MOUSE BUTTON - Play again with exactly the same options. RIGHT MOUSE BUTTON - Return to the options screen. [3] Registering =============== (3.1) Benefits of registering ----------------------------- Okay, so you got hold of a copy of this from somewhere, and you think it's a pretty nifty game. Well, at least pretend you do. I just know that you're sitting there saying to yourself "WOW...AM...TANK...IS...JUST...SO...GOOD... I...WISH...THAT...I...COULD...HELP...THAT...GREAT...PRO...GRAM...MER...RICH... ARD...SMITH...WHO...IS...OB...VI...OUS...LY...A...GE...NI...US..." Go on, admit it you are really! Ahem. Anyway, if you register...here's the deal: You will receive: (1) A copy of the AMOS Pro source code for this version ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ (2) A registered version of Am-Tank v1.00 ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ (3) A discount on 'AmTank+' as and when it's finished ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ (4) A discount on the PC version of AmTank (See below) ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ What's this??? AmTank+???? Yes indeedy. The next version of AmTank will hopefully boast AT LEAST the following: [1] Fully rendered intro and outro ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ [2] Variable air resistance ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ [3] Variable wind ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ [4] More colours on screen ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ [5] Different backgrounds ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ However, the most important thing is that the game will incorporate what YOU want. Therefore, if you do register you will have the option to suggest how the game could be improved further. I want your suggestions. Even if you don't want to register, I would be very grateful if you could report any bugs to me. My contact address is at the end of this document. (3.2) How to register --------------------- To register you must send £10 (that's ten pounds Sterling) to me along with a copy of the following form. You may either write out your answers on paper or print out the form. The form appears as a separate file on this disk. (3.3) Registration Form ----------------------- ------------------------------------------------------------------------------ AM-TANK (Rubber Duck Software) Version 1.00 REGISTRATION FORM ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Name: ~~~~~ Date: ~~~~~ Address: ~~~~~~~~ email address: ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Amiga: (e.g. 500, 500+, 600) ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Chip Ram: (e.g. 512k, 1Meg) ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Fast Ram: (e.g. 512k, 1Meg) ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Hard Drive?: (Yes/No) ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Would you like to know more about other RDS releases? (Yes/No) ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ ------------------------------------------------------------------------------ Please note: The information about your machine is required so that the version of AM-Tank I send you is optimised for your system. For example, if you have a hard drive, you will get more graphics because loading times are no longer critical. If you have more Chip memory then similarly more sound and graphics can be used simultaneously (ooh.) My contact address: 7 Finnemore Close Styvechale Grange Coventry CV3 6LR or email me at: ma4rms@bath.ac.uk [4] Coming Soon =============== (4.1) Enhanced PC Version ------------------------- As soon as this version of Am-Tank hits the streets, work will begin on the (as yet untitled) PC version of Am-Tank. Yes, that's right. The copyright has been sold to Dodgy Software. The PC version will be written in C and will incorporate all of the features of AM-Tank, AmTank+ and more. If you own or have access to a PC, then you will be entitled to a discount on the PC version when it becomes available. (4.2) Other RDS releases ------------------------ Coming soon: [1] MAX - Cartoon animation [2] D.E.P (Working Title) - Disk Examination Program (A file manager) [3] A-Paint (Working Title) - Paint package written in AMOS Pro. If you would like to know more about these (and other) releases simply indicate so on your registration form. [5] Changes To Latest Version ============================= (5.1) v1.02 ----------- Firstly, although there does exist a standard and proper method for how to calculate the version number...I don't know it. So, for the time being you will just have to accept my technique. v1.01 did exist for about 3 days. Then, I made some more changes which, well, quite frankly, were worthy of another increment. So, here's what's new in v1.02 from v1.01. * A lookup table was created for the exponential function call in the air resistance shot routine. (This was the main step from v1.00 to v1.01). * The complete automation of this ReadMe. Why? Well, when putting together a boot disk, it became annoyingly obvious that ppmore needed far too many libraries to operate. Therefore, I wrote this text viewer myself! (Not at all based on ppmore...honest!) * Obviously, the HD-Install program had to be updated to cope with these change. Now, the only file that must be present is mathtrans.lib in the SYS:Libs directory. However, I am considering making all the lookup tables into a binary file and then simply loading it in. Next time perhaps! * The removal of duplicate code. The fonts were being loaded in twice! (Ooops.) * A wait command was sitting pointlessly in the initial loading. Not any more! * Further optimizations were performed on the Fire routine making the scrolling smoother as less time is being spent on calculations. * All other changes are merely asthetic (spelling?) such as the palette for the loading text (Present, By, and Richard M Smith). As well as changes to the wait times. (5.2) v1.10 ----------- * The dependence on the existance of mathtrans.library has been removed by incorporating all lookup tables (sine, cosine, exponential) in the program itself. This is part of the attempt to make AmTank more of a stand-alone program. * The helicopter was added. (My father asked "So where's the helicopter?" "What helicopter?", I replied. "Well, you hear a helicopter in the title music don't you!". "Aha." I replied. Hence, there is now a very 'Cobra' like helicopter that flies from one end of the screen to the other. This is all handled under AMAL thankfully. * Helicopter sample. Exactly the same as the one in Cry Of War (.mod) just fo consistency. * Atmospheric sample. There is now a 'wind-type-thing' sample that plays in the background. This was to add a little atmosphere to the game. * Further optimisation in the FIRE routine. It is now down to one addition and one divison for the x_coordinate. * IFF pictures have been spacked to save space on the disk. ------------------------------------------------------------------------- Richard M Smith (7/1/96)