GAME-MAKER INFORMATION AND SPECIFICATIONS


It's as much fun to make a computer game as it is to play 
one.  Game-Maker lets you do both.

Previously you had to be a programmer to create a game, 
and you had to be an expert to make a top quality, fully 
animated, full color computer game.  Game-Maker 
introduces a set of easy to use computer aided design 
tools for making arcade and action games.  These tools
totally eliminate all software development.  Another
Game-Maker software module runs the games you create
without the need to assemble or compile any code.  

Game-Maker GAMES

Game-Maker games display full screen, 256 color VGA 
graphics with the entire screen displaying part of the 
game's playing surface.    Game-Maker allows for a scene 
to be many times the size of a screen, and as your 
character moves, the scene scrolls rapidly and smoothly.  
Animated objects include 'stationary' parts of the 
background, traveling objects called monsters, and the 
main character.  A game can consist of just one scene or 
many scenes.  The character, the monsters, the 
background, and the sounds can be different in each 
scene.  A different song can be played on each level of
the game on Sound Blaster Compatible sound cards.
Support for other sound cards is also planned.

Every drawing of every scene, monster, and character can 
be your design, or you can use and/or modify those 
provided with Game-Maker.  For that matter, you can 
modify Game-Maker games designed by others, including 
adding completely new levels of play.

The characters that you design have up to twenty 
animation sequences, can shoot or not shoot (your 
option), and can travel at the speed you set.  Characters 
can pick up and put down objects, pop to new worlds, 
die, and act in almost any way you can draw.  Characters 
move in response to key strokes or joystick commands.

Monsters are versatile animated objects that move 
according to your directions.  They can be helpful or 
harmful.  They can be birds and butterflies, 
alligators and trolls, missiles and bullets, or just about 
anything.  Up to 60 different monster types and up to 200 
individual monsters are allowed per scene.  After creating 
a monster, you can assign it straight forward or complex 
motion.

Game-Maker games keep track of character lives, money, 
hit points, and over 15 other counters.  Characters can 
pick up and drop objects.   A key stroke will bring up 
additional information about the progress of the game and 
pictures of your character's inventory.

Game-Maker TOOLS

Game-Maker tools have menus and full color graphical edit 
screens.  For ease of use, all tools are WYSIWYG (What 
You See Is What You Get) graphics based.  A mouse is 
needed, as it provides easy and rapid creation of pictures, 
scenes, and other gameware.  Menu selections can be 
made with the keyboard, mouse, or joystick.

Game-Maker includes an extensive set of artwork that can 
be used with the tools described below.  You can modify 
the artwork Game-Maker provides or you can design 
completely original drawings. 

Map Maker.  This tool allows you to create scenes by 
placing picture blocks on a 'map'.  It also allows you to 
place monsters and objects in the scene.  You can view 
the scene as you build it, scroll around the scene, or zoom 
out and work with a global view.  High level editing tools
allow you to quickly fill in large areas of you scenes.

Block Designer.   Picture blocks are the basic components 
from which computer games are made.  This tool allows 
you to draw background, monster, and character blocks.  
As you draw, you can watch how your new drawing fits 
into sections of scenes.  With each block you can 
associate attributes and powers (see next page).

Character Maker, Monster Maker.  These two tools create 
animation from sequences of character drawings and 
monster drawings.  The animated characters and monsters 
are visible as you create them, permitting interactive 
editing of your work. 

Palette Designer.  If the palettes (sets of 256 colors) 
provided with Game-Maker aren't exactly what you need, 
create new palettes.  

Image Reader.  Import graphics into your game from 
industry standard format GIF files.  Also provided are 
routines for converting PIC and PCX files to GIF (PCX is 
supported by Microsoft Windows' Paintbrush).  

Sound Editor.  Graphically construct sounds for use in 
your games.  Each scene can have its own set of 30 
sounds plus background music.  What-you-HEAR-is-what-
you-get with this tool!

Integrator.   Integrate scenes, monsters, characters, and 
sounds into a game.  Specify opening and closing GIF full 
screen displays, storyline text files, and a help file.

SPECIFICATIONS

Hardware
Standard VGA (256 color mode).
Two button Microsoft compatible mouse.
CPU - 286, 386, 486
Memory - 640K
Hard Disk, about 3 MB including all supplied games.
Joy Stick (Optional)
Sound Blaster compatible sound card (optional)

Maps (Scenes):

Size: 100 by 100 blocks (2000 by 2000 pixels).
  (A VGA screen is 10 by 16 blocks).  The designer can 
   optionally restrict the size of the scene.  
Scrolling:  Infinite in all directions (right side joins
  left, top joins bottom) or designer can control
  scrolling area.
Colors:  255 colors plus 'clear'.
Character can pop through 'doors' to other scenes.


Picture Block Attributes:

Solid blocks (each side separately set) and traversible 
 blocks.
Gravitational Field (any of eight directions).
Object blocks can be picked up, put down.
Character contact with a block can change over twenty 
 counters such as money, hit points, lives, ammunition.  
Change a displayed block based on time.
Change a displayed block upon contact with the character.

Character Attributes:

Twenty distinct animation sequences per character (10 
 frames per sequence)
One or two blocks in size
Acquires inventory
Possesses initial inventory
One character visible at a time
Each scene can have different characters
An object or a counter can enable an animation sequence
Counters:  Money, lives, hit points, score, five special 
 designer defined counters, fifteen animation sequence 
 counters
Reacts with monsters
Shoots designer drawn objects
Dies if hit points reach zero
Makes custom designed sounds

Monster Attributes:

Movement classes
  - toward character
  - away from character 
  - random
  - traverse a path, each path segment has its
    own speed.  Path can be absolute coordinates
    or relative to a character
Animation (20 frames per monster)
One block in size.  Can be grouped to form larger 
 monsters
Lives until killed / dies at end of path / dies after 
 designated time / never dies
Power level attribute
Blocked or not blocked by solid background
Monster solid or not with respect to  the character
Automatically birth another monster upon death.


A product of:  RECREATIONAL SOFTWARE DESIGNS   
               Box 1163, Amherst, NH  03031

ORDER FROM:  KD SOFTWARE, Great Falls Avenue, 
 Box 448, Rochester, NH 03867  1-800-533-6772


