------------------------ Starting Helios Defender ------------------------ This game requires 2 meg of memory, at least 1 meg of which must be chip memory. If you have a 1 meg chip machine, you may have to start Defender by booting from its own disk rather than using the Workbench icon. Otherwise you may have insufficient free chip memory to run the game unless you close down all other software. See the bottom of this file for a description of the game along with some VITAL hints and tips. ------------------------------- Helios re-programmable Defender ------------------------------- Helios Defender is the first of a planned series of classic arcade games developed on the Amiga using an all-new games programming language called HELIOS. The idea of this range of games is that they should introduce a new concept to Amiga gamers: the "reprogrammable" game. These games have been carefully designed so that all the vital parts of the game's appearance and "playability" can be easily changed without expert knowledge. This means that even non-programmers can make considerable creative changes to the sound, graphics and gameplay. Now you really can make your own version of an arcade classic...... Most important is that the HELIOS language is not only easy to learn and use, but also very fast and powerful, so the Helios reprogrammable games are among the fastest and best of their kind on the Amiga. You now have the chance to program your own version of a very fast and professional game, not just a limited beginners demonstration. If you play level 9 of Defender on a fast Amiga you will appreciate that the Helios programming system is to all intents and purposes as fast as pure assembly language. Try comparing it with other versions of the game. In the hope of encouraging new programmers to try their hand at writing creative software, Helios Software provide a good range of options at a very affordable price. We can provide a simple re-programmable version of the game for £15, and for only £25 we supply the full version, complete with commented source code AND Helios compiler. Even if you do not wish to try making your own version, these Helios games provide Amiga gamers with good, highly playable versions of the old arcade classics at a very reasonable price of £8 per game. If you are not sure about trying the full reprogrammable version, Helios will supply the non-expert version and allow you to upgrade later. The simple version has all game parameters programmable, along with a set of easy-to-modify graphic and sound files. Using this version of the software you can use any Amiga paint package to change all the game graphics and you can also use your own sound samples for the sound effects as well as using your own intro music. The speed and behaviour of the various game dynamic elements are easily changed, allowing you to change the way the game plays merely by typing numbers in a simple configuration file. If you are interested in trying your hand at Amiga game programming these Helios reprogrammable games offer an ideal opportunity to get started. You can get an easy introduction to the general concepts of game programming by modifying an existing program which already works..... ------------------------------------- About the HELIOS programming language ------------------------------------- The new HELIOS language has been designed specifically to make Amiga programming easier for beginners, and at the same time to be faster and more powerful than Basic or C. The whole of the Helios system is written in assembly language for speed, and you can write assembly language directly within the Helios code if you wish. Learning to program the Amiga in Helios is easier than most other languages because Helios has a direct "interpretive" mode which allows you to type in simple commands (or programs) and get an instant response from the computer. This instant feedback is ideal for learning and creative experimentation. Helios has a large set of built in Amiga-specific commands to carry out many common programming tasks such as opening windows and getting user input. Several libraries of commands, totalling over 1000 functions, are available to take the hard work out of most general programing tasks. Helios has been developed over 5 years and runs reliably on all Amigas from OS 1.2 onwards. The language is available in a variety of specifications so that anyone can get a system to suit the Amiga they use and the amount they wish to spend. The full Helios professional system consists of a fast immediate interactive interpreter, a compiler, and an extremely powerful text editor which compares favourably with professional "stand-alone" editors. These functional units are integrated into a single very powerful program which gives the most user friendly and productive programming environment yet seen on the Amiga. Helios is available also as a stand-alone compiler for use with your own text editor, and although this version lacks the many convenient features of the integrated environment it is fully equivalent in terms of compiler features and power. ------------------------ Ordering Helios products ------------------------ All Helios products are only available direct from Helios Software with the result that we can keep prices down and provide excellent value for money. You get no fancy packaging but instead you get a fast direct service and personal contact with the people who create the software. We also like to maintain a direct contact with our customers to help with problems and get feedback fron users which helps us improve the software. If you have any queries about Helios products, please let us know: we have a policy of continual upgrades to our software, and YOUR suggestions and questions may help us make the software better for everyone. Helios Software 163 Huthwaite Road Sutton-in-Ashfield Nottinghamshire NG17 2HB England Telephone 0623 (Mansfield) 554828 Next day delivery service. Credit card payment by telephone accepted. ----------------------- Other programming tools ----------------------- Helios Software are European distributors for software products from The Puzzle Factory: ReSource V6.0 ReSource is an excellent interactive Amiga disassembler, allowing detailed interactive inspection of disassembled code as well as comprehensive tools for generating source code for re-assembly. Macro68 Macro68 is the fastest and most fully featured professional assembler available for the Amiga, with a host of configurable functions and an excellent AREXX interface. Helios Software also specialise in Forth systems for the Amiga. **************** Playing Defender **************** In case you have never played Defender before here are a few simple guidelines. Even if you do know how to play Defender, please read the notes below which detail the special features of this extremely fast and demanding version of the game. -------- Defender -------- You control an ultra fast fighting ship in which you fly through a horizontally scrolling alien landscape. So far, so simple.... Your task is to protect ten humanoids who are patrolling the planet surface, and your enemy takes the form of a horde of aggressive green aliens who wickedly attempt to kidnap these humanoids - and to kill you, of course..... You are free to shoot anything on screen, but you only get points for killing aliens. You will find that killing your humanoid friends can have very nasty repercussions, especially when the last one is killed, so do take care.... (Actually, when your last humanoid is killed, all landers will automatically mutate instantly and the planet will become a much less hospitable place. You will then need to survive this harsh scenario until the next time a new shipment of humanoids arrives.) The alien landers will pick up humanoids and attempt to lift them to the top of the planet's atmosphere. It is important that you shoot a lander before it succeeds in this mission, since having done so it will turn into a very aggressive "mutant" which attacks you with a demented and merciless vigour, gibbering uncouthly as it does so. If you shoot a lander while it is carrying a humanoid the lander will explode and release the humanoid, which falls back slowly to the planet's surface. You must try to collect the humanoid before he crashes to his doom on the surface below, and you do this by flying into him. This will cause the humanoid attach himself to your ship, and allows you to carry him below the ship until you drop him back to the ground by flying low. You can carry as many humanoids as you like below your ship, and if you are really very cowardly you can even use then as a form of "humanoid shield" to stop alien shots reaching your ship. This use of humanoids is very unkind, but quite useful......! If humanoids are released from a great height they will certainly die when they hit the ground, but if you shoot the carrying lander while it is still close to the ground, the humanoid will fall back the short distance to the surface unharmed. While all this is going on, the landers will fire a few desultory shots at you, which you are advised to avoid or shoot before they hit you. The lander artillery is weak to start with (not too weak!), but do not be too disappointed - they do get better as the battle progresses! To further distract your attention, pulsating alien bombers fly around from time to time, annoyingly laying destructive minefields which you need to avoid with great care. The mines are small and hard to see in the heat of battle, but quite lethal. On later levels you will encounter pods which release a number of nasty swarmers when shot: you MUST kill these pods and you have no choice then but to face the swarmers in a battle to the death - often your death. You have a few smart bombs which kill everything on screen, but use these sparingly because the later levels are tough and will require the liberal and intelligent use of smartbombs for survival. By the way, do take care when using a smartbomb on a pod! Interestingly, the smart bomb will just crack open the pod and eject at high velocity a few very angry swarmers who resent having been so rudely woken up. However, the good news is that smartbombs do kill swarmers..... If you spend too long touring about without clearing all the aliens, a zone clearing baiter will arrive and chase you until you or he gets killed. What is worse is that this nasty enemy reappears again and again at regular intervals, getting more aggressive every time, so listen very carefully for the tell-tale sound which he makes when he appears. After 9 levels of this gentle stroll through alien skies, if you are still alive, you are returned to level one to repeat your triumph, but this time the aliens have seen you before and prepare themselves more carefully. It gets harder all the time....... ------------------------------------------------------- Special tricks, features, and hints for Helios Defender ------------------------------------------------------- Helios Defender is much faster and tougher than the original game, or any other Amiga version of the game, and there are one or two things you really need to know to help you survive..... First of all, if this game really is just too fast and frantic for you, please do not give up, but take the opportunity to use the reprogramming facility to create a version of the game which you find playable and just sufficiently challenging. This game is meant to give YOU enjoyment, so please experiment and build yourself a game which gives you the thrill of battle without the disgust of constant humiliating defeat. You are in control of your own fate in this game, and of course eventually you might even want to create the ultimate challenge for yourself and your friends! Here are a few general hints and tips. You can engage "autofire" on your laser weapon by holding down the fire button, but take care when doing this not to wipe out too many humanoids. In general you need to use your weapons sparingly and with control, but there comes a time in every game where all-out blasting is the only way. Your ship is fast - it NEEDS to be! - and you must take care to move in a steady and controlled fashion, picking your way with accuracy. You will not get far flying around at great speed with all weapons blazing, so remember that Defender is a game of precision, strategy, and control. When landers or mutants are forming they initially appear in a spinning "phased" or dematerialised form, and this gives you a brief chance to position yourself before the fighting starts. Make good use of this. Your ship is also "phased" onto the screen, and you can move while still only partially formed. It is vital to use this ability to get away from the enemy while you are still invulnerable - especially on later levels. If you use a smartbomb on landers or mutants which are still "phased" the blast will not have any effect on them, although it will still kill all other aliens on the screen. In general you should take care not to waste smartbombs while any of the enemy are still "phased", but this is sometimes impossible. Try to use smartbombs sparingly and with intelligent control rather than as a panic weapon - and do not break the spacebar of your keyboard! The baiter makes a characteristic sound when it forms, and being very sneaky it always forms well away from your position, accelerating towards you as it seeks you out. The baiter "formation" sound is not too loud, so you must pay close attention to get early warning of a baiter attack. Kill bombers early in a level to give you freedom to move that ultra fast ship of yours in open spaces......and try to avoid going anywhere at full speed except when making a dash to save your last humanoid. Only burst open pods when you have cleared everything else, giving you vital space to run away without colliding with other enemies. Score as much as you can on the easy levels, earning and storing up extra lives and smartbombs for level 9 - you will certainly need them! Make good use of the scanner, especially when all your humanoids are killed...... View the game play area consciously as a whole world, and keep note of what is going on throughout the extent of this world. Some other versions of Defender make the game into a slow sequential progression from one side of the world to the other, but in Helios Defender everything happens more quickly and in many places simultaneously. This is why you have a much faster ship than usual - to get quickly to any part of your world. Listen carefully for sound effects and take note of on-screen messages. You need these clues to be aware of impending threats while engaging the current enemy, and you need to pay particular attention to the scream of abducted humanoids and the merry sounds of the incoming baiter or mutant. Remember that you only get new humanoids on levels 1 and 5 in each round, so always take care to protect your last couple of living humanoids! An enemy shot hitting a humanoid carried below your ship will kill the poor fellow instantly but will not hurt your ship. You may feel immorally obliged to employ a "humanoid shield" like this in really tough battles, but please remember that ALL humananoids you are carrying will be killed together by a single alien hit. Go for a big score on the first easy level....allow each of the humanoids to be abducted and rescue them all to get a good bonus and extra lives etc. It will never be this easy again! ------- Scoring ------- Destroying Lander 150 points Destroying Mutant 150 points Destroying Swarmer 150 points Destroying Baiter 200 points Destroying Bomber 250 points Destroying Pod 1000 points Allowing humanoid to fall safely to ground 250 points Picking up humanoid 500 points Setting humanoid back onto planet surface 500 points Bonus of 100 x level points for each living humanoid at end of each level Extra life and extra smart bomb every 10000 points Good Luck!