ÉÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍ» º º º TOO MANY GECKOS! º º Copyright 1995 º º ANARCHY ENTERTAINMENT INC. º º All Rights Reserved º º º ÈÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍͼ ÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄ "TOO MANY GECKOS!" SHAREWARE MAY BE FREELY DISTRIBUTED! That means you should give copies of "TOO MANY GECKOS!" Shareware to all your friends and every other living human you encounter while roaming planet earth! See Section [11] for details ÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄ ÉÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍ» º TABLE OF CONTENTS º ÈÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍͼ [1] Installation & Setup [2] Introduction [3] Object of the Game [4] The Environment [5] How to Play [6] Controls [7] Keyboard Controls [8] Tips and Strategies [9] Troubleshooting [10] Ordering Registered TMG! [11] Distribution Information [12] Nutritional Information ÉÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍ» º [1] Installation & Setup º ÈÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍͼ TOO MANY GECKOS! Requires the following: [1] MSDOS - Not Windows, not Windows '95... Start your machine in DOS! [2] The DOS prompt - Not DOSSHELL, not Windows DOS box... Start from the DOS Prompt! [3] 386 or better - Not 8088, not 8086, not 286... 386 or better! (Get a new machine!) [4] 4 MB of RAM - Not 640K, not 1MB... Make sure you have at least 4 MB or RAM! [5] VGA Card - Not CGA, not EGA... Your computer must have a VGA card or better! [6] Mouse - Not a cat, not a dog... The mouse driver must be installed from DOS! SETUP.EXE is the program that configures TMG! for the specifics of your machine. If you wish to change sound card or memory options, you can run SETUP again and change those options. TMG.EXE is the program that runs the game. Type "TMG" to play! ÉÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍ» º [2] Introduction º ÈÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍͼ Along the river Nile rise the pyramids, one of the seven wonders of the world. Conclusive new evidence suggests that the pyramids were actually constructed by a highly intelligent tribe of small, insect eating lizards called "geckos." In recognition of their great architectural achievement, you must rise to their challenge: Can you reconstruct the pyramids as they have done, so that all the geckos match correctly, both inside and outside the structures? ÉÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍ» º [3] Object of the Game º ÈÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍͼ There is a great task needing to be done. It will be a long and arduous test of the mind if you dare to accept its challenge. For those of you who are feeble minded and the weak at heart, read no further, for mental agony surely awaits. Turn back now, like the dim-witted masses before you who long ago conceded defeat and quietly sank back into their mundane lives of oblivion. Before you step out on the path of adventure, think of the brave souls who were forced to turn away, their minds crushed under the weight of the riddles that lay before them. Pay your respects to the few great minds who dared to accept the full strain of the puzzles that still remain incomplete. Sadly, they are longer counted among the wise, their faces paled and their eyes forever blank, a testament to the psychic damage they incurred. Read on only if your intellect matches your boldness of character, for dozens of pyramids and temples along the Nile River have been destroyed. Only one bearing great will power and superior wit can turn chaos into balance and harmony, and restore order to the land! ÉÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍ» º [4] The Environment º ÈÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍͼ You will be visiting famous locations along the Nile River. Depending upon where you are, it may be morning, day, evening or night. Wherever you end up, that's where you'll be! The puzzle is always at the center of your screen. As the game starts, the puzzle will explode, and the pieces will be scattered all around. (That's why this is a puzzle!) What's left behind is the wire model which shows you the shape of the puzzle, and where to put the pieces. You can find individual puzzle pieces by moving around the environment. You will experience the game by revolving around the puzzle like the earth revolves around the sun. You can adjust your view so that you are up high, like a bird, looking down at the puzzle, or you can move your view way down low, where you'll see the puzzle like a worm sees the world. You can zoom back, far away from the puzzle, or you zoom in super close so the pieces are right in your face. You can also tilt your head up or down. (The closer you are to the ground, and the tighter you zoom in towards the puzzle, the more profound the effect will be when you tilt your head.) While moving around the environment, you will also encounter such things as palm trees, statues, animals, etc. These "sprites" are just part of the scenery. After you get good at the game, take some time to examine the sprites. In the Registered Version of Too Many Geckos, look for secret clues hidden in the sprites! ÉÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍ» º [5] How to Play º ÈÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍͼ You will begin your journey in Nubia, and travel up the Nile River through Upper, Middle, and Lower Egypt, rebuilding the destroyed pyramids and temples you encounter in each location. Your task, should your mind withstand its magnitude, will be to rebuild each different pyramid. You will do this by placing the different pieces into the wire model that indicates the final shape of the structure you are rebuilding. Then you must rotate each piece until the geckos' colors match with every other piece in the puzzle! But it is not enough just to match the colors of the geckos! For every gecko that matches color, you must also match heads and tails - on every piece in the puzzle! After you have completed your task you must find a quiet place along the Nile River to relax and let the knots in your brain unravel! ÉÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍ» º [6] Controls º ÈÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍͼ ÚÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄ¿ ³ There are three main things for you to know about ³ ÀÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÙ [1] Pieces - There are two different kinds. 4-sided piece - Tetrahedron 5-sided piece - Pyramid [2] Wire Model - This shows you the shape of the structure you are building. The glowing section indicates where the piece you have selected will snap into. [3] Control Panel - Here's where most of the action takes place. It's divided up into three sections: ÚÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄ¿ ³ Piece Manipulation ³ ÀÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÙ [SNAP IN] Snaps the selected piece into the highlighted section of the wire model. [SWAP] Swaps the selected piece with another of your choice. [POP OUT] Pops the selected piece out of the wire model. [ROTATIONS] Twists and turns the selected piece. ÚÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄ¿ ³ View Control ³ ÀÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÙ [ZOOM OUT] Zooms your view out. [ZOOM IN] Zooms your view in. [MOVE UP] Moves your view up. [MOVE DOWN] Moves your view down. [MOVE LEFT] Moves your view left. [MOVE RIGHT] Moves your view right [TILT] Tilts your head up and down. The effect will be more profound when your view is close to the ground and you are zoomed up close to the puzzle. ÚÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄ¿ ³ Piece Selection ³ ÀÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÙ [PIECE] Cycles through the available pieces. This will re-adjust your view so that you are behind the newly selected piece, looking towards the puzzle. [WIRE] Cycles through all the wire model sections. [MENU] Brings you to the Game Menu ÚÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄ¿ ³ Game Menu ³ ÀÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÙ [ESC - RETURN TO GAME] This returns you to the game you are currently playing. [OPTIONS] Brings you to the options screen. [NEW GAME] Brings you to the "Pick Your Quest Screen" so you can start a new quest in either Nubia, Upper Egypt, Middle Egypt or Lower Egypt. [LOAD GAME] Lets you load a game that you saved in progress. [SAVE GAME] Lets you save a game in progress. [HELP] Lets you read the help screens. [QUIT] Lets you quit the game. ÚÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄ¿ ³ Options Screen ³ ÀÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÙ [MUSIC] This slider lets you adjust the volume of the Music. [SFX] This slider lets you adjust the volume of the Sound Effects. [SPEED] These buttons (1-4) let you pick the speed at which the game will run. 1 is smoothest, 4 is fastest. [SPRITES] Lets you turn sprites (palm trees, etc.) on or off. [LIGHTS] Lets you turn the light that shades the different sides of the pieces on or off. No real useful purpose - just lets us show how cool the shading of the different sides is! [PARALLAX] Lets you turn the parallaxing layer of the background art on or off. [MESSAGES] Lets you turn the help messages on or off. ÉÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍ» º [7] Keyboard Controls º ÈÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍͼ TOO MANY GECKOS! is designed to be used entirely with the mouse. However, for those die hard keyboard fans, we have also enabled game play control from the keyboard. Speed Control is of interest to both mouse and keyboard players. The first four function keys control the speed at which the camera revolves around the puzzle arena. ÚÄÄÄ¿ ÚÄÄÄ¿ ÚÄÄÄ¿ ÚÄÄÄ¿ Function Key ³F1 ³ ³F2 ³ ³F3 ³ ³F4 ³ ÀÄÄÄÙ ÀÄÄÄÙ ÀÄÄÄÙ ÀÄÄÄÙ Visual Effect Smooth Normal Quick Lightning CPU Pentium 486/66 486/33 386/33 The following keys are for those individuals who would rather use the keyboard than touch a mouse. Numeric Keypad: ÚÄÄÄ¿ ÚÄÄÄ¿ ÚÄÄÄ¿ ÚÄÄÄ¿ ³Num³ ³ / ³ ³ * ³ ³ - ³ wire ÀÄÄÄÙ ÀÄÄÄÙ ÀÄÄÄÙ ÀÄÄÄÙ ÚÄÄÄ¿ ÚÄÄÄ¿ ÚÄÄÄ¿ ÚÄÄÄ¿ ³ 7 ³ camera ³ 8 ³ camera ³ 9 ³ camera ³ + ³ wire ÀÄÄÄÙ ÀÄÄÄÙ ÀÄÄÄÙ ³ ³ ³ ³ ÚÄÄÄ¿ ÚÄÄÄ¿ ÚÄÄÄ¿ ³ ³ ³ 4 ³ camera ³ 5 ³ snap ³ 6 ³ camera ³ ³ ÀÄÄÄÙ ÀÄÄÄÙ ÀÄÄÄÙ ÀÄÄÄÙ ÚÄÄÄ¿ ÚÄÄÄ¿ ÚÄÄÄ¿ ÚÄÄÄ¿ ³ 1 ³ piece ³ 2 ³ camera ³ 3 ³ piece ³ E ³ ÀÄÄÄÙ ÀÄÄÄÙ ÀÄÄÄÙ ³ N ³ ³ T ³ ÚÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄ¿ ÚÄÄÄ¿ ³ E ³ ³ 0 ³ pop ³ . ³ ³ R ³ ÀÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÙ ÀÄÄÄÙ ÀÄÄÄÙ Wire frame positions can be selected by hitting the plus [+] and minus [-] keys on the keypad. The pieces can be selected by hitting one [1] and three [3] on the keypad. Your view will change so you are looking directly at the selected piece. To snap the pieces into place hit the five [5] key on the numeric keypad. You can pop the selected piece out of the wire model by hitting the zero [0] key on the keypad. Keys seven [7] and nine [9] zoom the camera in and out. Keys eight [8] and two [2] move the camera up and down. Keys four [4] and six [6] move camera left and right around the puzzle. Keyboard: ÚÄÄÄ¿ ÚÄÄÄ¿ ÚÄÄÄ¿ ÚÄÄÄ¿ ³ Q ³ rotate ³ W ³ rotate ³ E ³ rotate ³ R ³ tilt up ÀÄÄÄÙ Y ÀÄÄÄÙ X ÀÄÄÄÙ Y ÀÄÄÄÙ ÚÄÄÄ¿ ÚÄÄÄ¿ ÚÄÄÄ¿ ÚÄÄÄ¿ ³ A ³ rotate ³ S ³ rotate ³ D ³ rotate ³ F ³ tilt down ÀÄÄÄÙ Z ÀÄÄÄÙ X ÀÄÄÄÙ Z ÀÄÄÄÙ [W] and [S] rotate the selected piece about the X-Axis [Q] and [E] rotate the selected piece about the Y-Axis [A] and [D] rotate the selected piece about the Z-Axis [R] and [F] tilt your head up and down. ÉÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍ» º [8] Tips and Strategies º ÈÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍͼ At first glance TOO MANY GECKOS! can look a bit overwhelming. That's because you're a wimp! Power down some raw eggs and give it another go. If you apply some simple strategies to the game, you can solve the puzzles like a pro! [1] Use the hints! If you look at the puzzle from the top down, you will see half-geckos on the floor! What a way to start the day! [2] Match the Base pieces first. Nothin's worse than putting together the entire puzzle from a side-view only to find that the geckos that have to match on the floor are still messed up. Get your view way up high, and begin matching up the base pieces to the floor. Now you're cookin'! [3] Match as many of the 5-sided pieces (pyramids) as you can before you mess with the 4-sided pieces (tetrahedrons). You can think of the 5-sided pieces as your friends! Sometimes the 4-Sided pieces can rotate in ways that make them pure evil. [4] Get good with the WIRE buttons. Pushing the WIRE buttons will let you surf through the available positions in the wire model, and you can quickly try the same piece in a number of different positions. [5] Examine the colors. Here's a little mental gymnastic you can do that will make you a much better TMG player, as well as sharpen up your mind for your next trip to the grocery store. Say you've snapped in a couple of pieces that match just fine. Trouble is, you've got to put another piece next to or between them, and you don't know where to start. Here's what you do. Remember the colors of the geckos on the edges of the pieces that are set in place - let's say it's Purple, Purple, Yellow. Now, look for other pieces out there somewhere with Purple, Purple, and Yellow on them. Rule out all the pieces that don't fit this scheme, and try to fit all the ones that are possibilities. [6] Now REALLY Examine the colors! There are a couple of different ways to look at the pieces and imagine the colors schemes on the pieces that have to match them. If you can master these techniques, you'll be able to snap the pyramids and temples together faster than they blow apart! You might also improve your SAT scores! One of the most powerful techniques is to imagine the match from the inside out. Huh? what's he talking about? - Listen up! It's very common to look for colors that match along the EDGES of two touching pieces - but it's twice as deadly to look for the colors that match from FACE to FACE. When you look for matches along an EDGE, you become like a robot executing an efficient searching process - but when you look for matching FACES, you're cookin' with style. Think of it this way - two pieces are joined FACE to FACE. You can plainly see all the geckos matching along the EDGES from piece to piece. But, unseen... lurking in the dark where the two FACES of those pyramids are pushed together, are matches going on where nobody can see them. When you peel them apart, the two FACES are like perfect mirror images of each other! So, when you can see the FACE of one piece, and you know another piece will have to fit next to it and cover up that FACE until the end of time, take a little picture of that FACE in your mind's eye, and then find the piece that's out there somewhere that has no choice but to match perfectly! REMEMBER: This is a puzzle, which means thinking will be involved! ÉÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍ» º [9] Troubleshooting º ÈÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍͼ There is a file which contains the answers to common questions. The file is called TROUBLE.TXT If this file doesn't answer your question, it will tell you how to contact technical support from Anarchy Entertainment. ÉÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍ» º [10] Ordering Registered TMG! º ÈÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍͼ Look for the file called ORDER.TXT That's the file that has all the information you'll need to get your copy of the Registered TOO MANY GECKOS! ÉÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍ» º [11] Distribution Information º ÈÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍͼ TOO MANY GECKOS! Shareware is freely distributable to any and every animal, mineral, vegetable, living human, or cosmic entity, so long as it is distributed in UNMODIFIED FORM and no fees are charged. ÉÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍ» º [12] Nutritional Information º ÈÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍͼ Nutritional Information is provided for individuals who, on the advice of their doctor, are monitoring their caloric intake. ANARCHY ENTERTAINMENT IS PROUD TO ANNOUNCE THAT "TOO MANY GECKOS!" IS 100% FAT FREE! Serving Size ................ A couple Megs Servings per Shareware ...... 6 Levels Servings per Registered ..... 36 Levels - plus a Secret Level Oops! now it's not a Secret anymore! Calories .................... 0 g Vitamin A .......... 0% Total Fat ................... 0 g Vitamin C .......... 0% Saturated Fat ............ 0 g Calcium ............ 0% Polyunsaturated Fat ...... 0 g Iron ............... 0% Monounsaturated Fat ...... 0 g Plastic............. 0% Cholesterol ................. 0 mg Neoprene ........... 0% Sodium ...................... 0 mg Total Carbohydrate .......... 0 g WARNING: Studies in some Dietary Fiber ............ 0 g Beta testers have shown that Sugars ................... 0 g playing TOO MANY GECKOS! Protein ..................... 0 g can become addictive. Ingredients: C, ASM, PCX, MID, WAV, PAL, Pyramids, Tetrahedrons, Sprites, Texture Mapping, Light Sourcing, BRDS, ROT, MX, MISC, RAW, SCRS, Seconds, Minutes, Hours, Days, Weeks, Years, Blood, Sweat, Tears.