LOOPZ WINDOWS

This program is the Windows version of a DOS game from ©Audiogenic Software. I found this game so funny that I decided to write this Windows version. I hope that you will enjoy to play with this game as much I enjoyed to program it.

You will find in this help:

How to contact me.

What do you need for playing Loopz Windows.

What are the menu commands and the shortkeys.

How to play Loopz Windows.

Some Hints.

Give Loopz Windows to all your friends, they would be so happy!...

Thank you for playing Loopz Windows!


Loopz Windows is freeware. You can copy and distribute it freely. But you are not allowed to sell or to modify it in any way.


contact
CONTACTS:

Contact me for reporting bugs (I would be very gratefull for that), or just for giving your impressions and suggestions on Loopz Windows.

You can write to:

Christophe YVON

28, rue Charles Peguy

92330 SCEAUX

FRANCE

I intend to release new versions faster, nicer, with more pieces, more and best sounds & musics, and more different game types like in the DOS game. Look for them in your favorite BBS!


Yes, I'm french, and I apologize for my poor English!...


need
What do you need to play with Loopz Windows?

List of the files requiered for Loopz Windows:

program:	loopz.exe

help file:	loopz.hlp

information file:	loopz.txt

Midi music files:	loopz1.mid

loopz2.mid

loopz3.mid

Wave music files:	bonus.wav

loose.wav

tac.wav

tic.wav

zip.wav

You will need:

1) 286 or higher processor.

2) Windows 3.1 or higher.

3) Windows operating in standard or enhanced mode.

4) Mouse or other pointing device.

5) Multimedia extension for musics and sounds.

A 386SX 16MHz minimum is highly recommended.

Note to the 286s: Let's start to save money to buy a 486!

The author claims no responsibility for any damages that might be caused by the use or abuse of this software. This software remains the property of the author. You can distribut freely as long as the files listed above are included. This software may not be sold or modified in any way. (Yeah! What nice sentences! It sounds good!).


I'm not a musician, I chose some nice musics from a CDROM of the "Multimedia Upgrade Kit" of the SoundBlaster Pro.

All the MIDI files are copyrighted by CREATIVE LABS, INC for the arrangements, orchestrations and/or compositions.

The original names of the files are "camp.mid", "air.mid" and "turkish.mid".


menu
MENU COMMANDS

Game menu:

New/Stop:	Start or stop a game.

Pause:	Pause or resume the current game.

High scores...:	Display the best scores.

Quit:	Exit form Loopz Windows.

Options menu:

Difficulty:	Choose the difficulty of the game if the game is paused or stopped

Sounds:	Enable or disable the clock sound. and the soundeffects.

Musics...:	Display this dialog box if the game is paused or stopped:

click on the dialog box to get help

Help menu:

Help:	Display this help.

About:	Some informations about Loopz Windows.


Click in a radiobutton to choose the music played during the game. Music 1, Music 2 and Music 3 are the three musics given with Loopz. Choose Custom to play your own favorite music.

Warning: if you don't have the multimedia extension, no music will be played.


Click on this button to listen the music. Click again to stop it.

Warning: if you don't have the multimedia extension, no music will be played.


Click on this button to choose your music file.

Warning: be sure to choose a MIDI file (with .mid extension).


Click in the box to enable or disable the music during the game.

Warning: if you don't have the multimedia extension, no music will be played.


SHORTKEYS

press:

F1	 to get this help.

F2	 to start/stop the game

F3	 to exit from Loopz Windows.

CONTROL+P	 to pause/resume the game.

CONTROL+C	 to enable/disable the clock sound.

CONTROL+S	 to enable/disable the soundeffects.

CONTROL+M	 to display the music dialog box if the game is stopped or paused.


RULES

This game's goal is similar to the Tetris's goal: to play as long as possible. In Tetris you put pieces to make horizontal lines to destroy them, in Loopz you will try to make...loops!

This is a complete loop:

You can rotate pieces with your right mouse button before putting them on the game board with the left mouse button. But you have a limited time for it!

When you complete a loop, it disappears from the board. If you clear the entire board, you get a special bonus.

You can not put pieces if their horizontal or vertical entries are near the sides of the board.

In first levels, the pieces are not very big, but they will become bigger and harder to put while your level is increasing.

The board game is like:

click on it to get help

The game cursor is [image]. When you reach a high level, the cursor [image] may appear. Click with the left button of an uncompleted loop, it will destroy it. This can be very usefull!

You can choose the difficulty of the game. When the difficulty increases, the speed increases, the big pieces come earlier, but you get more points!

difficulty:	Low	Normal	High

first appearance of the destroy cursor:	level 5	level 6	level 7

points for a loop:	lenght*10	lenght*20	lenght*30

bonus for clearing the board:	250	500	750


Display your number of lifes. Each time you fail to put a piece on the board during the limited time, you lost one life. You start with 3 lifes and you can get a free life each 10,000 points.


Display the current level. When your level increases, the speed increases. The higher level is the level number 9.


Display your points.


Display the number of loops made since the beginning of the game. When your score is the same than the highscore, the score with the higher number of loops will enter (or stay) in the hall of fame.


Display the number of pieces put since the beginning of the game.


Display the time left.


This is the board of the game. When the game begins, the cursor becomes [image]. As long as the game is running, the cursor is not allowed to go out of the board. Stop or pause the game to free the cursor.


HINTS

1) Try to get bonuses in the lower levels, forget it in the higher levels. Just try to make loops!

2) Save the smallest pieces. They are very precious, don't put them together.

3) If you get Loopz Windows with a highscore file (loopz.dat), just delete it to reset all the highscores.