====================================================================== Welcome to Robouldix©! An Action puzzle game Brought to you by -*- The Terminus Team -*- ====================================================================== DISCLAIMER This software is provided 'as-is', without warranty of any kind, either expressed or implied. In no event will we, the Terminus Team, be liable for direct, indirect, incidental or consequential damages or data loss resulting from the use or application of this software. The entire risk as to the results and performance of this software is assumed by you. === Introduction Welcome to the demo version of Robouldix©. This version of the game is freely distributable. If you do like the game and would like the full version, please refer to the section "How to register." We have put in a substantial amount of time in creating this game, and have done our best to make it as good as possible. As far as we know there is no game based on Boulder Dash that is as advanced as ours. Some facts about the game: The game uses 32 colour graphics. The game senses and adapts to PAL and NTSC. The screen is updated fifty times per second (or sixty if you are a NTSC user) There are over 500 different objects in the game. Where we use the word "object" to refer to almost anything in the game. That is a monster is an object, and so is a wall, a diamond, a door, or whatever. A great many of these object have several animation frames. The game contains about 150K graphics and about 150K music data. === Requirements This game needs at least one megabyte of memory to run. Other than that it should work on all Amiga configurations. You may start the game from either CLI or Workbench. Or you may unpack the archive to an empty, installed disk and boot from it. If the game does not start up correctly try to free up more memory for it. Memory can be pretty tight on a bog standard one meg machine. If nothing else work, put the game on a floppy disk an boot start it, this should give more than enough memory. It is possible to install and run the game from your hard disk. We have tested it on A500, A600, A1000, A2000, A3000 and A4000 without any problems. The various machines we have tested the game on have had a wide variety of different addons. So it ought to work on just about any Amiga configuration you may have. If it does not work on your Amiga please refer to the section "How to report a bug." There is a possibility that you have to disable the copy back mode when running on an '040. We have had one complaint over this. But since it worked flawlessly on the one '040 system available to us, there is not much we can do. If you experience problems of this kind, use the CPU command like this; "CPU NoCopyBack"; before running the game. === How to play the game. (Please note that as a further incentive to get you to register the two player option is disabled in the demo version.) Most likely you have already tried the game, since few read the manual first. But here are some explanations of different things. The Main Menu options: "START GAME": Rather self explanatory. "CHANGE NAME": Puts up a requester where you can enter your name (for the high score). "ENTER PASSWORD": After completing a level, except bonus levels, you will receive a password that will allow you to jump straight to that level the next time you play. Just enter the password in the requester, and choose "START GAME". "CHANGE WORLD": There will probably be further levels sets for the game. Then you use this requester to tell the game where to look for the new levels. "TWO PLAYERS": Turns on two player mode and show you a slightly different Main Menu. "EXIT GAME": After freeing all resources, the game returns you to the Workbench. The joystick: Up, down, left and right does what you would expect :-) The button is used for several things:: If you press the button and pull the joystick in a direction one of two things will happen. 1) If the object you "point" Rob (the main character) at is a solid, non takeable object, then Rob will try to push the object away from him. If the object is pushable, and not to heavy it will be moved. This is also the way you operate certain things, such as switches and zoom monitors. 2) If the object is something that Rob may pick up it will disappear. And if it is not just a valuable it will appear in Robs inventory. If you hold down the button without pulling in a direction and arrow will start to flash on the scoreboard. It will move about the three icons that are located on the left of the scoreboard. If you release the button while the arrow is over the first icon you will trigger whatever object you have chosen as the "Fast choice" in the inventory menu. The same thing happens for the second icon, only that you trigger the "Second choice" from the inventory. If you release the button over the "i" icon you will enter the inventory. The keyboard: M & S Displays an option screen for the SFX and music. You may select; "Music & SFX" if you want both music and sound effects. And "Music", "SFX" or "Silence" if you prefer to hear only one type of sounds, or none at all. P Pauses until either player press his joystick button. Left shift Brings up player ones inventory menu. Left alt Triggers whatever object player one have chosen in the "Fast choice" from his inventory Left Amiga Triggers whatever object player one have chosen in the "Second choice" from his inventory Right shift Right alt Right Amiga All have the same functions as their "Left" counterparts, except that they work on the second player. I Info, shows various information about the current level. Such as, number of diamonds left on the level, and how much you've scored on the level so far. J Configure how the joystick works. B Rotates player one. N Rotates player two. 4 Speeds up the frame rate. This might not look to good. So don't over use it. 5 Slows down the frame rate. Esc. Brings up an option menu, where you may; "Restart level" which lets you start over a level if you are having difficulties. "Visit DOS" which pauses the game and returns you to the workbench screen where you may go about your business as usual, and once you want to return to the game you just click on the close gadget of the window that says "Close to play Robouldix©." Or you may choose "Main Menu" which brings you back to the main menu. === The main object of the game is to collect enough valuables to open the exit so that you may proceed to the next level. Only certain valuables counts towards the opening of the exit, and certain of these are worth more or less exit points. The number of exit points that you need to collect before finish the current level is displayed in the counter left of the ":D" on the scoreboard. Certain exits may open or close on other occasions. And there exists hidden exits which leads to bonus levels. The different diamonds you find will give different scores and exit points. The basic blue diamond give five points towards your score and decreases the exit point counter with one. Diamonds of other colors give more or less points. For each level you have a certain amount of time to collect the valuables and get to the exit. The time is displayed to the right of the "T:" on the scoreboard. Note that the timer counts at different speeds on different levels. === How to report a bug. If you find a fault in the game, then *do* report it to us as quickly as possible so that we will be able to fix the error. Try to write down as much as possible about how the bug manifested it self and what you did to get it to appear. Try to include a description of your system, for example what sort of processor you have. And any other information that you think might prove beneficial to us when we shall track down the error. If there is a fault while the game starts up or when it tries to load a new level startup the game with a "debug" argument, ie "Robouldix Debug" (this only works from CLI). You will then get some numbers on the score board. Include which number that the last displayed when you report the bug. Finally send all that information to us using one of the options from the "How to get in touch with the authors" section. === Credits This game was programmed by Svante Berglund and Patrik Grip-Jansson. The final touches on the graphics were made by Andreas Björck. The music was made by Martin Eklund. And finally Jonny Järvegård constructed several of the levels. === How to register. === Several features are deliberatly removed from the demo version to encourage you to register, and recived the real version. The following is a list over extras that may be found in the real version (some features might not make it in to the final version.) The two player option is removed. The real version features about 160 levels, many more monsters, weapons, treasures, bonuses. This demo version utilizes about 40 different objects in the game, whereas the real version features about 500 objects! Well, basically you get *lots* of extras if you do register the game. If there is a sufficent level of interest (read: if we get enough money :-) there will be an AGA version, a level editor, and further enhancements (that may or may not cost extra.) Bug reports and wish lists for further features are quite welcome. Especially if they are accompanied by a registration fee :-) But even if you don't register, your opinions are quite welcome (for example you could e-mail us telling us what it is you dislike about the game, so that we might be able to change it to your liking.) If you do register, please consider including a brief outline about what sort of a Amiga system you use, and tell us what you liked or disliked about the game. This is of course not necessary, but might be of use for us in the future. === If you live in Sweden please use the following information to register: Ni registrerar er genom att betala in 185:- på postgiro 637 73 78-2 med följande betalningsmottagare; Patrik Grip-Jansson Bygården, Slöta 521 97 Vartofta Under "Meddelande till betalningsmottagare" skriver ni "Registerings- avgift för Robouldix" följt av erat namn och adress. === If you live in Scandinavia use the following information to register: Either send us 190skr (swedish crowns), or whatever that amounts to in you local currency in an registered letter, or transfer 200skr to this postal giro number; 637 73 78-2, with the following address; Patrik Grip-Jansson Bygården, Slöta 521 97 Vartofta (The extra 10skr is to cover our expenses for the transfer.) === If you live elsewhere in the world. The easiest and the most inexpensive way for both parts is if you send cash in a registered letter. If you use this method of payment, the registration fee is US$27 (see the following list for a few other currencies.) If you prefer to send an international cheque you *have* to add US$8 to the registration fee (yes, it is that expensive for us to cash a foreign cheque!) If you find any other way to send us the registration fee make sure that: A) We can actually collect the money (for example personal cheque from USA is of little or no use to us) and B) that you inquire how much it will cost us to collect the cash, and add that amount on top of the registration fee. All around a registered letter with the fee included in bills should be the safest, cheapest and best way to register. The registration fee in a couple of other currencies is as follows (if you want to send the fee in your local currency make sure that it is the equivalent of about 215skr (swedish crowns)) DM 45 Francs 160 British Pounds 18 User groups can contact us for better prices if you get several members to register at the same time. === How to get in touch with the authors Patrik Grip-Jansson Svante Berglund Bygården, Slöta Skiftingegatan 24A 521 97 Vartofta 633 54 Eskilstuna Sweden Sweden Phone : +46 243 828 23 Phone: +46 16 111 337 Fido: 2:203/418.0 Fido: 2:203/418.3 Internet: patrikj@sluga.se === And please... If you are offered a pirate version of the full game, refuse to accept it and register so that you get your own version. The future of the Amiga is up to us, the users. If we do not pay for our programs no one will make any in the future. If you do like a game there is no excuse what so ever for playing a pirate version of that game! As of writing this, we have only received four registrations! Which is *rather* disappointing. And still all reports we have seen about the game have been quite positive. We will have to get a better response than that if we are to commit ourselves to bringing out more levels, a level editor, and so on! Robouldix© is copyright 1993 by the Terminus Team.