++ DIGITAL DOWNS ++ COPYRIGHT (C) 1995 ACCIDENTAL SOFTWARE "If it's good, it's ACCIDENTAL" NOTICE ACCIDENTAL SOFTWARE DOES NOT PROMOTE OR CONDONE USING DIGITAL DOWNS FOR GAMBLING PURPOSES AND IS NOT LIABLE FOR DIRECT, INDIRECT OR CONSE- QUENTIAL DAMAGES RESULTING FROM THE USE OF DIGITAL DOWNS. TABLE OF CONTENTS 1. Game features 2. System requirements 3. Game start up 4. Command line switches 5. Making Selections 6. Menu Bar 7. Daily Racing Form 8. Race Types 9. Tote Board 10. Video 11. Utilities 12. Race 13. Tips GAME FEATURES 1. An exciting and action packed horse racing simulation. 2. Easy to use mouse interface. Point and click your way through the entire game. 3. Large data base of available horses, each with predetermined abilities. (1000 horses and 10 stables in the demo edition, 3000 horses and 30 stables in the full edition). 4. Each stable has it's own set of jockeys, each jockey has a dif- ferent ability that may add to or detract from the horses ability. 5. Each stable has it's own trainers, each horse is assigned a trainer. The trainer may have a bearing on how well the horse performs. 6. Each racing day has an associated track condition. Each horse will perform differently depending on the track condition it encounters. 7. A daily double bet is available on the first race of the day, it covers the first and second races of the day. 8. Nine race lengths are provided. The race lengths vary from the shortest straight away race (4 Furlongs) to the longest full track race (1 1/2 miles). 9. The first race of the day features the daily double bet, the following bets are available in all races. 1. Win bet 2. Place bet 3. Show bet 4. Quenella bet 5. Exacta bet 10. Each race is recorded on simulated video tape. This video is shown after each race. The video can be run as many times as you like simply by pushing the video button. The speed of the video play back can be adjusted with the mouse buttons or the keyboard. 11. Sound blaster sound effects and voice files. The full edition has many additional sound blaster sound effects. These sound effects require a sound blaster or 100% compatible sound system to function. 12. The full edition of this game will allow up to 8 people to play simultaneously. The demo edition only allows one player to play at a time. 13. The full edition of this game will save the stake and default bet amount for each player so that he or she may continue the game in the future. SYSTEM REQUIREMENTS 1. IBM or 100% compatible computer 2. EGA/VGA Video adapter with 256K RAM on video card 4. 550K free RAM required 5. Mouse 6. 80386 processor of better RECOMMENDED: 1. Sound Blaster DEMO VERSION 1. The game supplied is an demo version. This version is provided as a demonstration of the game capabilities and provides a fully functioning game. Some game enhancements are reserved for those users who find this game to be a worthwhile investment. The full version has several game enhancements not available in the demo copy. These features are listed below. FULL VERSION 1. Your full version removes all game limitations. 2. Your full version will allow you to play with up to a 8 other players at the same time. 3. Your full version will save your stake and default bet amount so you can continue the game at a future time. 4. Sound Blaster support is provided. Full version users will be able to hear sound effects associated with the race view of the game. This feature requires a Sound Blaster or 100% compatible sound system. 5. The full version of this game updates each horses results from the last race he has run. If he wins enough races to qualify for the next racing catagory, he will move up in rank and race in the next highest race. GAME START UP 1. Sign in with the name you will play under. Saved game information will reference this name (full version only). 2. Additional players can only be added in the full edition of this game. MAKING SELECTIONS All menu or game selections can be made with the mouse. Move the hand pointer to the item if your choice. Push the left mouse button to activate the item. The rate of change of some items such as the bet amount can be can be increased by pressing the right mouse button. Items on the main menu bar as well as video play back can be selected by pressing the key that corresponds to the first letter of the item desired. MENU BAR BETS UTILITIES RACE BETS: This menu bar choice opens the bet placement window. Move the hand pointer to the BETS selection with your mouse, then press the left mouse button or press "B" on your keyboard. BETTER BET HORSE AMOUNT BETTER: If more than one person is playing, each player's name will be listed under BETTER. The person currently placing bets is shown in RED, others are in black. The current better is also identified just below the divider line on the bet placement window. BET: The bet categories available are shown under BET. Win, place, and show bets are self explanatory. The quenella bet: You are betting on win and place horses for this race. The order of finish for these 2 horses is not important as long as one comes in first and one comes in second. The Exacta bet: You are betting that you will pick the win and show horse for this race in exact order. The Exacta bet pay off is better than the Quenella bet. The Daily Double bet: You betting that you can choose the winner of race one and race two. This bet is only available on the first race of the day. The results of this bet are shown after the second race of the day. HORSE: The horse number(s) you want to bet on are input here. Select the + or - boxes with the hand pointer to change the horse (by number) that you want to use for this bet. AMOUNT: The amount of the bet you are placing will be shown here after a horse number has been selected. When the game starts the default bet amount for each player is $2.00. The default bet amount can be adjusted for each player from $2.00 up to $100 with the Utility menu. If you decide not to wager on a bet category, you need only cycle through the horse selection for that category until the horse number disappears. If no horse number is selected for a bet category, no money will appear in the amount box. The minimum bet is $2.00 and bets can be increase or decreased by $2.00 increments. OTHER INFORMATION: The RACE # (shown in red) displays the race number for the day that you are currently betting on. An explanation of the remaining information can be seen by selecting the HELP button found at the bottom of this window. DAILY RACING FORM FORM: Select the FORM button at the bottom of the bet window to see the DAILY RACING FORM. The form for the race you are currently betting on will show. You may change the form to a different race (there are 8 races each day) by moving the hand pointer to the LARGE RACE NUMBER at the top center of the racing form. Push the left mouse button to increase the race number of the form by one or the right mouse button to decrease it. The ODDS shown on the form are established each morning by the track odds maker. The odds shown on the Tote Board (above the daily racing form) are current and reflect the betting that has taken place on the horses since the track opened. Large differences in the odds between the daily racing form and the odds shown on the Tote Board indicate that the betting public has a different perception of how the horse will perform than does the track odds maker. RACE TYPES Each new racing day at Digital Down consists of 8 races. These races are organized as follows. Race 1 & 2: Maiden Races. A maiden race is for 2 or 3 year old horses who have not yet won a race. Race 3,4,&5: Claiming Races. A claiming race is for 2 or 3 year old horses who are not yet of good enough caliber to enter an allowance race. These horses may have won up to 3 races in the past. Race 6: Allowance Race. This race is for higher caliber horses that have won at least 3 races in the past. This race can be for either 2 or 3 year old horses. Race 7: Handicap Race. This race is for 2 or 3 year old horses that have won at least 4 races in the past. Race 8: Stakes Race. This race is for 2 or 3 year old horses that have won at least 5 races in the past. NOTE: In the full version of this game each horse that wins enough races moves up to the next highest race type. TOTE BOARD The tote board sits above the teller cage on the wall. When the current betting race is selected, the ODDS will continually change to reflect the betting taking place on this race. A brief racing history for each horse on the tote board can be seen by clicking on that horse's name. VIDEO This button is available after the first race of the day has been run. You can push this button (before you place a bet on the next race) to see a video play back of the previous race. The speed of the play back can be increased or decreased by pushing a mouse button or keyboard key. The left mouse button or the "-" key on the keyboard decreases the video play back speed. The right mouse button or "+" on the keyboard increases the video play back speed. You can push both mouse buttons simultaneously or "ESC" on the keyboard to set the play back speed to the normal range. Tap the space bar on the keyboard to toggle video freeze on and off. You can adjust the video play back speed while the the picture is frozen. The red lines visible to the right of the video button show the relative play back speed. As the play back speed is adjusted, this trail of lines gets longer as the play back speed increases and shorter as the play back speed is reduced. NOTE: If you are using a 80386 processor, you may need to set need to set the play back speed to the fastest range for satisfactory results. UTILITIES STANDARD BETS: Click on the OK button next to STANDARD BETS to set the standard bet amount (default bet amount) that each player wants to use. Example: If in most cases you want to place a bet on the horse of your choice for $20.00. In this case set the Standard Bet amount for yourself to $20.00. When you select a horse on which to bet, the amount of the bet will initially be set to $20.00. Each better can set his or her own standard bet amount. The full edition of the game will save the standard bet amount for each player so that it will automatically be set when you play at a future time. SOUND BLASTER: Click on the OK button next to SOUND BLASTER. This will toggle sound blaster sound effects on an off. END PROGRAM: Click on the OK button next to END PROGRAM to quit the game. If you have the full edition of the game, your stake and standard bet amounts will be saved. DONE: Click on the OK button next to DONE to exit the Utility routine. NOTE: When in the UTILITIES window, the BETS and RACE menu bar selections can not be activated. RACE You may select RACE without placing any bets if you so desire. The RACE selection takes you to an overhead view of the Digital Downs race track. Once the starting gate is moved into position, the bottom of the screen will change to show race information. The top of the screen shows the names of all players and any bets they have made for Win, Place, or Show on this race. The horse number that has been bet on as well as the amount of the bet is shown. When the race has finished, the information at the top of the screen expands to show all bets made, results of the bets, and the overall results of all bet wins and losses. Any bet that results in a win will show the pay off amount in green, any losses are shown in red. The overall total will be either green (overall plus) or red (overall minus). This overall total is the last entry on each players column and is opposite the "R:esults". All bet categories show the horse number bet on as well as the applicable money for that bet category. "Q"uenella bets, "X:"acta bets, and "D"aily Double bets show both horses bet on. When the race has finished and all players have completed reviewing the results, PUSH ANY KEY (mouse or keyboard) to continue the game. After each race has been run, the video play back of the race will be shown. See VIDEO above for details concerning play back of the race video. The race video can be reviewed as many times as desired by clicking on the VIDEO button. TIPS The two characters in the bet placement scene will both talk to you if you click on their body. The small character "SHORTY" is a self proclaimed track expert and will give you a hot tip on the upcomming race if you click on his head. Take this tip with a grain of salt since shorty's record isn't all that sterling.