"WINDOWS COMMAND" (c) 1991 Oasis Software Computer Game Instructions I. System Requirements ------------------- A. IBM or compatible 286, 386, or 486 computer operating at greater than 6Mz (greater than 12 Mz is recommended) B. Microsoft Windows 3.0 C. Mouse pointing device D. EGA or VGA display II. The Program ------------ A. General 1. "Windows Command" is a Windows application. Its behavior and how you tell it what to do is very similar to other Windows applications. But since it is also an arcade game with lots of action and movement, you should be aware of the following items: a. You can resize the "Windows Command" window at any time. But if you resize it while missiles are moving on the screen, they become disoriented and explode in improbable places. No big deal, the effect is harmless. The next missile waves are adjusted for the new window size. Avoid the next wave of missiles. You can avoid the glitch by the glitch by not resizing when missiles are attacking. Correcting the glitch requires more programming effort than I believe it is worth. b. You can shift to another Windows application at any time. You can shrink the game to an icon at any time. Please note that unlike most Windows applications the game will continue in the background. The enemy will destroy your cities while you work on a spreadsheet or word processor! This is easily avoided by simply pausing the game first (It does look neat to see the enemy's missile explosions inside the game's icon). c. The fast-paced arcade action of the game depends heavily on Windows' graphics routines. If Windows is burdened down with lots of other tasks, the game action will slow to a crawl. Conditions that may overburden Windows and slow down all Windows applications include low system memory, or running a bunch of applications at the same time. B. Menu Commands 1. "Game" popup menu a. "Demo" -- A demo version of the game is provided as a teaser for you to enjoy and (I hope) help you decide to register for the full, unrestricted version. Play it as much as you like! The action ends when the score exceeds 20000 points or the cities are all gone. b. "Full" -- A dialog box asks for the "password". You get it from me when you register and pay the $3.00 fee. Anything typed in the dialog box is converted to asterisks to discourage guessing. Repeat games avoid rentering the password by selecting the "Demo" option which now starts the full version. Invalid passwords start the "Demo" version. c. "Quit" -- Self-explanatory 2. "Difficulty" popup menu Self-explanatory. Increased difficulty shrinks the size of your defensive missile blasts, forcing you to be more accurate in targeting enemy missiles. You can also greatly affect the difficulty of the game by resizing the window. Narrowing the window makes it easier, flattening it makes it harder. 3. "Options" popus menu a. "Pause/Resume" -- A toggle to freeze (or thaw if frozen) the game action. You should pause before switching to another Windows application. b. "Sound On/Off" -- A toggle to turn off ( or on) the warning siren heard before each new round of missile attack waves. The missile explosion sound cannot be turned off. 4. "Help" popup menu The "About Windows Command" item will display a dialog box to tell you how to register and obtain the password for the full version. III. The Game --------- A. Object -- To protect your cities from enemy attack as long as possible. B. Play -- You're in charge of Missile Silo Alpha. It provides protection of the six large cities in Sector Delta from missile attack by the those perennial bad guys, the Klingons. Suddenly, the missile attack siren sounds! A large number of enemy missiles (the Scud model 1000) appear at the top of the window. You rapidly move the arrow cursor with your mouse to desired locations and click the left mouse button. Your missile, the Patriot model XXXX of course, screams upward from the silo to explode almost instantaneously at where you were pointing. After the first wave of missiles explodes (either by one of your missiles or when it reaches a low altitude) another wave immediately follows, and then more! Finally, the Klingons take a breather and the round ends. A dialog box appears. Your score is updated, your missile arsenal is replenished, and you are awarded any bonus cities. The bonus cities automatically replace any destroyed city to give you a new lease on life. You get one bonus city for every 10000 points scored(20000 above 100000, 30000 above 140000). The Klingons don't discourage easily, and they may send a Stealth bomber into the attack. You cannot see the plane, but will quickly note the burst of bombs appearing suddenly over your cities. Should you be lucky enough to survive the initial few waves of missiles the enemy will send his starship into the battle. You see a sphere materialize. At first it may do nothing, but then it will begin moving quickly and firing an unstoppable laser beam. A well-placed missile is needed to destroy it. Since the number of missiles in your silo is usually less than the number of enemy, well-placed missile shots are vital. You will hear a "beep" sound when you click the mouse button and there are no missiles left to fire. You are now helpless until the round ends. The game continues until all your cities are destroyed and there are no bonus cities to replace them. C. Strategy -- ???? Part of the fun is figuring it out on your own. IV. Opps! Pardon Me --------------- This is my first published Windows application. Extensive programming effort was involved to try and make "Windows Command" an entertaining game that is (hopefully) bug-free. If you enjoy it, please register! If you find any difficulty running the program, let me know. I need feedback to fix my boo-boos! You can reach me on Compuserve or write directly (see the About dialog box for my ID and address). Tim Baldwin May 23, 1991