___________________________________________________________________________ Sokoban for Windows Release 2.2.5 Copyright (c) 1992 Allan B. Liss Internet: lissab@lldmpc.dnet.dupont.com CIS: 76247,642 Snail: P.O. Box 9171, Wilmington DE 19802 Sokoban for Windows, Release 2.2.5, is being released as Freeware. This means that this product may be copied and distributed freely for non-commercial purposes only. If you represent a shareware clearing house, it is assumed that your charges are for media and overhead, so you may include this product in your catalog. The author makes no guarantees or warrantees regarding the suitability of this product for any given task. ___________________________________________________________________________ You are looking at the file SOKO.TXT. Sokoban is a classic puzzle game in which you assume the role of an overworked stockboy (stockperson?) in a large warehouse. To earn your wages, you must neatly pack a set of crates onto the platforms provided on each of the increasingly difficult levels. Pushing heavy crates around is hard work, so it's in your best interest to minimize the amount of moving and pushing you do to finish a level. Sokoban for Windows is my attempt to port this frustrating game to the Microsoft Windows 3.x environment. The game distribution includes: SOKO.TXT you're looking at it SOKO.EXE the game SOKO.HLP the Windows help file After you run the game, two new files will be created: SOKO.INI initialization file SOKO.SCO high score / saved game file The only files absolutely required to run the game are SOKO.EXE and SOKO.HLP. Just copy them to the same directory and create a program item in one of Windows' Program Manager groups. If you're using OS/2 2.0's WorkPlace Shell, make sure to set KBD_ALTHOME_BYPASS to ON in the WIN-OS/2 in the program's Settings notebook if you wish to use the Alt-Home accelerator key. The game is not shipped with a score file. This means that the only thing you can reasonably do when you load the game is to select "New" from the Game menu. The window will fill with the first puzzle. The "soko-ban" (Japanese for "warehouse man") is the little red devil toward the lower right corner, and you move it with the cursor keys (up, down, left, right). The mouse is not used. To complete the level, you must push all the boxes into the black platform area at the right of the screen. If you push a box into a corner (except for in the platform area), you're stuck and will have to restart the level by selecting "Undo Level" from the Move menu. When you've pushed all the boxes into the platform, you advance to the next level. Make sure to save your game when you complete the level! There's an auto-save option you can select in case you forget. When you complete all 50 puzzles, you get a cutesy little animation to stare at for hours and hours with your raster-burned glazzies. Here's what the menu items do: Game New Start a new game Open Open a previously saved game from the score file (if you have one) Save Save the game. This saves the last level you succesfully completed as well as the number of moves and pushes it took you to complete it. You can't save a 'level in progress'. This item is grayed if you have set the Autosave option or if the game has been saved already. Exit ...if you don't like to use Alt-F4. Move Undo last Take back your last move. Sometimes you accidentally push a box one too many spaces...that's what this is for. Undo level Restart the current level from the beginning. For when you've made the level unsolvable. Save position Save your current position. This is handy when you make a set of moves that you suspect are correct, but you aren't sure how to proceed. You can Restore Position later instead of restarting the entire level. Saved positions are lost when you restart or advance levels, or when you exit the game. Restore position See above. Options Autosave Automatically save the game each time you successfully complete a level. Noise Enable annoying noises for when you try to walk through walls, etc. Animate Enable fancy wipes for restarting levels, etc. Can be frustrating on slow machines. Help The usual Windows help. I will consider working on a version with a level editor if I see enough demand for it. If you find bugs or have any suggestions on how to otherwise improve the game, send me e-mail (the Internet address gets checked most frequently). If you like the game, give a copy to somebody. If you _really_ like it, send me money -- this will encourage me to release more free games. If you REALLY, REALLY like the game, consider me for a position on your staff, especially if your company is in the Northwest. I'm an systems analyst experienced with applications development on a variety of platforms. Enjoy!