Boulder Dash(R) Construction Kit(TM) THE PROGRAMS: We provide two choices in the BOULDER DASH(R) CONSTRUCTION KIT(TM). You can either play the pre- saved game included on the CD or build your own caves and then construct your own games with the editor. So your first step is to click on either the "Play Game!->" or the "Launch Editor->" button. Note: If you are not familiar with the BOULDER DASH games, it is a good idea to start out by playing the pre-saved game provided. By starting with the pre- saved game you will become familiar with the game's basics, different objects, moving creatures and how they work. Read Section I when starting with the pre- saved game. Read Section II to learn about and use the editor. Read Section III for more details about the palette in the editor. Finally, Section IV contains a list of 'Quick Keys'. (PC Joysticks are automatically configured for this program.) --------------------------SECTION I----------------- PLAYING THE PRE-SAVED GAME (By clicking on "Play Game!->"): -------------------------------------------------------- The pre-saved game is named "GAME1". It consists of 12 caves and 3 intermissions. Load it by pressing ENTER or RETURN when asked for the game file. (NOTE: "GAME1" automatically appears by default.) Its colors will shift when it's loaded and you can then select a cave or intermission number (01-15) to play by pressing the up or down cursor keys. Press the left control key or joystick button when the number of your choice appears. Now, the game itself will begin. Pause at any point in the game by pressing the SPACE Bar. Restart the game by pressing the SPACE BAR again. If you become trapped or see you can no longer clear a cave, press ESC to sacrifice one life and restart that cave. Caves scroll to be 4 screens large. Intermissions are single screens and allow you to earn bonus points. (Intermissions reward you for getting through caves alive. If you lose an intermission, you still go on to the next cave.) As in all BOULDER DASH games, your objective is to search through different caves to find as many diamonds as possible. You must rely on strategy and planning to guide you through each cave. With quick reflexes and careful moves you can avoid different obstacles and enemy creatures. You have a limited amount of time to mine each cave and each cave has a limit to the number of diamonds you can mine. MINING A CAVE: In each cave you will find different obstacles and enemy creatures you will need to avoid or trap while mining for or creating diamonds. (See Section III for a list and description of each obstacle and creature.) You will start with 3 lives, but will earn an extra life with every 500 points you earn. HELPFUL HINTS: If Rockford(TM) gets in a tight spot and wants to grab a diamond or push a boulder without moving, press and hold the left control key or joystick button, then press the cursor key in the direction of the diamond or boulder. Rockford(TM) will remain in the same place, but the diamond will be pulled toward him (collected), or the boulder will be pushed away from him...IF... there is an empty space on the other side of the boulder. SCORING INFORMATION: At the top of the screen is a bar with numbers. The numbers stand for the following information (left to right): -The number of diamonds you are required to mine in the current cave in order to exit. -The value of each single diamond. -The number of diamonds you have collected so far. -The time you have remaining to complete the cave. -The total points you have accumulated. EARN POINTS FOR: -Each diamond you collect. -Every second you have left on the timer when you exit the cave. -Every diamond you collect above the minimum number of diamonds required to exit (bonus points). --------------------------SECTION II----------------------- CONSTRUCT CAVES & GAMES (BY clicking on "Launch Editor->"): ----------------------------------------------------------- When the editor starts you will see a screen with four options: -EDIT CAVE (to edit a cave that was already created & saved) -CREATE A NEW CAVE (to design your own cave from scratch) -EDIT INTERMISSION (to edit a previously saved intermission) -CREATE A NEW INTERMISSION (to design your own intermission) NOTE: Intermissions are caves that do not scroll, which are inserted between regular (scrolling) caves. Use the up or down cursor keys or joystick to move the <> indicator to the left of your desired choice. Then press the left control key (or the joystick button.) You will then have a palette available to you from which you can select items to create or modify a cave or intermission. The objects in the palette are the same elements and obstacles that appear in GAME1. You should use the items in the palette to design and construct your own caves and intermissions. Using the editor, you can create caves and games as wild as your imagination. A game can contain as many or few caves or intermissions as you like. Up to a total of 99. Remember, when you are constructing your games that caves scroll to be 4 screens large. You can see all 4 screens at the same time by using the Full Screen function, simply press "F". (Then press left control, ESC or ALT to return to regular editor view.) Intermissions are single screens used for bonus points. USING THE PALETTE: As soon as you start to create or edit a cave, a white flashing box will surround the first item (far left) in the palette...which happens to be a boulder. Use the right or left cursor keys on the keyboard (or your joystick) to position this flashing, highlighting box, around an item, creature or letter and press the left control key or joystick button to select that item. NOTE: Section III below contains further details regarding the elements used in the game and that are available in the palette as well as a summary of short cut keys when constructing caves or intermissions. Now, using the cursor keys or the joystick, position the high- lighting box inside the playfield at the location you want the selected item to appear and press the left control key or joystick button. When you do that, the selected item will be placed in the cave. Continue to move about the playfield 'stamping' more of these items as desired by pressing left control as many times as needed. To return to the palette to select a different item, first press the ALT key. Your cursor will automatically jump back up to the row of items in the palette across the top of the screen. Now you can select a different item using the cursor keys or joystick as before. However, this time, when you press the left control key or the joystick trigger, you will be returned automatically to where you where last in the playfield. Don't forget that regular caves are 2 screens across and 2 screens high, so don't forget to use all of the playfield available to you! Construct your games, cave by cave, saving each cave as you create it. (See how to do this below.) Use boulders, growing walls, butterflies, amoebas and other items to add risk and adventure to your caves. But remember always to add an entrance, an exit and some diamonds (or means for creating diamonds) in your caves. In Section III you will find a list of obstacles and creatures, and a list of commands for constructing your caves. In order to create a cave that you can test you need to First, select the M (menu) icon or press the "M" key and select the top item of the 8 options that are presented. The one you want is SET UP CAVE/INTERMISSION. With the <> symbol to the left of this choice, press the left control key (or press the joystick trigger button). You will now see another menu also with 8 items. For ALL caves you must assign a number to the first 4 items: CAVE DELAY; CAVE TIME IN SECONDS; DIAMONDS NEEDED and DIAMOND VALUE. (The last 4 can remain at zero unless you decide to use Bonus Diamonds, Slime, the Amoeba and/or a Magic Wall.) Start at the top of this menu and with the <> to the left of CAVE DELAY press the left control button (this selects that option), now use the up and down cursor keys or your joystick to increase or decrease the values. Press the left control key AGAIN to set the value. The up and down cursor keys (or joystick) will now control the <> symbol. So, after setting the CAVE DELAY, you would move the <> down as it appears to the left of CAVE TIME IN SECONDS. (Repeat this until you have set all values as desired. PRESS ESC TO RETURN TO THE FIRST MENU SCREEN. Once you have set the required values, you can test a cave or intermission simply by selecting "T" from the palette or pressing "T" on the keyboard. Once you are finished with your cave, it's time to SAVE IT! SAVING A CAVE: First, select the M (menu) icon or press the "M" key. Use the arrow keys to move the <> symbol to the left of SAVE CAVE. Next, press the left control key (or joystick trigger). When prompted, type in a NEW file name for your cave and press ENTER or RETURN. (The name you use must be unique and the computer will give it an extension automatically. If you want to use a file name that already exists, you must first delete the existing cave or intermission.) GAME SEQUENCE OPTIONS: You control the order in which caves and intermissions are presented in a new game that you create. You also determine if a cave can be selected by the player or if they must win previous caves to have access to it. In order to set or change the sequence in which caves and intermissions are played proceed as follows: First select "M" from the palette or press the "M" key. The menu that appears has 8 items, the last of which is 'GAMES OPTION'. Place the <> to the left of GAMES OPTION and press the left control key (or the joystick button). You will now see 5 options presented. -CLEAR SEQUENCE: Clears the game sequence. -LOAD FILES: Reads the catalog of caves and intermissions available. -LOAD GAME SEQUENCE: Loads a previously created game sequence. You must provide the name of the desired game sequence. -SAVE GAME SEQUENCE: Saves the current game sequence on your computer. You must provide a unique name for it. -EDIT GAME: Select this option to change the sequence of caves or intermissions in a game you created in the paste. This option allows you to put all the caves you have constructed AND saved into the sequence of your choice. Three columns will appear on the screen. Take the following steps to put your caves and intermissions into a game sequence. First: Press the ALT KEY until the up and down cursor keys (or the joystick) are controlling the <> symbol for the far RIGHT column. Next, place the <> it in front of the file you want to move. Then press the ALT key. Second: The up and down cursor keys (or the joystick) should now be controlling the <> symbol for the far LEFT column. So, place the <> symbol in the location you want the file from the Right column to appear (using the up or down key). Now, when you press the left control key or joystick button the file from the RIGHT column should appear in the column on the LEFT at the position you selected. Third: Press the ALT KEY again and the up and down cursor keys (or the joystick) should be controlling the <> symbol for the MIDDLE column. Toggle between Y (Yes) and N (No) by pressing the LEFT CONTROL key. This will determine which of the caves and intermissions the player can select in the final game sequence you've created. If a cave cannot be selected (No), then the player must earn the right to play it by winning the previous cave. DISK OPTIONS: Provided for your convenience, as the 7th option revealed by selecting the menu (M) are the following items: (These are NOT necessary to play or construct a game and the last two should NOT be used under any circumstances!): -DISK DIRECTORY: Provides a listing of your existing games. -RENAME: Use to rename a previously saved game. -DELETE: Removes an existing game. -COPY: WARNING!!! Do NOT use. -FORMAT: WARNING!!! Do NOT use. --------------------------SECTION III------------------ The following game play items in the palette may be accessed and used in the editor. They are listed in the order they appear, starting from the left: -------------------------------------------------------- Boulders: Will fall (when not supported by dirt areas or walls) and crush items beneath them. A single boulder can be pushed left or right into empty spaces by Rockford(TM). Diamonds: Every cave must have a certain number of diamonds. They can be created from other elements in the palette (see Butterflies). Magic/Enchanted Wall: This wall turns boulders into diamonds and diamonds into boulders. This milling process can be set to last a specified length of time when constructing or editing a cave. Walls: Use these to build paths, strongholds, and obstacles for creatures and diamonds. They can be destroyed by explosions. Titanium Walls: These are indestructible walls and nothing may be placed 'on' these walls i.e., you can't place a boulder 'on' a titanium wall. (See note below regarding Hidden Exit Door for sole exception.) Growing Walls: These walls grow to fill any holes that Rockford(TM) digs at the end of the wall...which can put him in a tight spot! Extra Rockford(s): He doesn't move, so be sure to protect him from fireflies, butterflies and falling boulders. Dirt: Used as a filler and to support rocks and diamonds. Rockford(TM) digs a path as he walks, but butterflies and fireflies can't go through dirt. Fireflies: They can destroy Rockford(TM) by landing on him and exploding. You can destroy them by dropping boulders on them. They always fly in a predictable direction. Butterflies: Drop a boulder on them and they explode turning into 9 diamonds. Amoebas: This gooey stuff can grow through dirt, but can be contained by walls or boulders. If suffocated (surrounded by boulders, walls and/or Rockford), it will turn into diamonds. But if not contained, it will grow uncontrollably, eventually turning into boulders. Slime: This slimy gunk is permeable so boulders and diamonds can fall through it. (When you are constructing a cave, you can set the time it takes for boulders and diamonds to fall through the slime.) Hidden Exit Door: This door looks like a Titanium Wall, so remember where you put it when you're constructing your cave! Exit Door: This door will be revealed as soon as the required number of diamonds are collected. Entrance: This is the door that Rockford(TM) uses to enter the cave. You must remember that a cave is not complete without both an entrance and an exit! ----- The following palette 'commands' or 'tools' may be accessed and used in the editor. They are listed in the order they appear, starting from the left, but towards the right end of the palette: Lines or rows: Select the L icon from the palette (or press the L key). Then select an item or creature you would like to place repeatedly in your cave. Press the left control key or joystick button at the first place you want the item to appear and move to the last place (on the same line or an exact diagonal) you want the item to appear. Press the left control key or joystick button again and the item will appear in a solid line within the start and end points you set. Random Generator: Select an item you'd like to place randomly in the cave's playfield. Choose the Dice icon and 20 of your selected items will appear in the cave in random locations. To see the full cave with items, press the F key. Erase: Select the Eraser icon (or the E key) to erase items you've placed in your cave and to create paths of cleared dirt. Clock: Select the clock icon (or the Y key) to set the various time values. For example, the speed at which Rockford(TM) moves through the cave, the time you have to finish the cave and the time it takes boulders and diamonds to fall through the slime. When an item is highlighted by the <> symbol to its left, change the number by pressing up or down. Press the left control key to set the value. The last palette item is comprised of 4 letters: C/Color Mode: Select the C icon (or use the C key) to select the color mode. T/Test: Select the T icon (or the T key) to test a cave or intermission you've created. In test mode, you MUST USE THE NUMBER PAD KEYS to navigate Rockford. HOWEVER, after you have created a game sequence, saved and named a game, Rockford(TM) may ONLY be controlled with the cursor keys or the joystick WHEN PLAYING IN AN ACTUAL GAME. (Use of the number pad...Num Lock MUST be engaged... to control Rockford(TM) is LIMITED to ONLY testing a cave or intermission while using the editor!) NOTE: If Rockford(TM) becomes trapped or you determine you can not clear the cave, press the ESC key to sacrifice one life and restart that cave. M/Menu: Press the M icon (or the M key) to see the file menu. To choose one of the 8 menu items, move the <> symbol to the left of your choice and press the left control key or joystick button. From the Menu you can Save and Load your caves and intermissions, or access 'GAMES OPTIONS' with its own set of 5 additional options. N/New Screen: Select the N icon (or the N key) to clear the editor screen. ------EDITOR SHORT CUT KEYS----- KEY FUNCTION --------------------------------------------- Joystick or arrow keys Move the cursor around up, down, left Or right. the screen or palette Left Control/FIRE BUTTON Select a highlighted icon or place a selected icon ALT key Return cursor to palette L key Select the Line mode On/Off CTRL key Place a selected icon/item on the screen T key Play test a cave or intermission (ESC to abort and restart cave e.g. if trapped) E key Select the Eraser icon N key Start a New Screen (Y or N to confirm) C key Select the Color mode Y key Select the Value mode F key Access Full screen mode (use left control, ESC or ALT to return to single screen view.) M key Select the Menu mode ---------------------------------------------- ------- SHORT CUT KEYS WHEN IN MENU MODE------ Joystick or Arrow key up, Highlight an option WITH <> down Left Control/FIRE BUTTON Select and execute an option Left or Right ALT Key Back out of item placement, release control of the cursor to allow another selection ESC key Exit a Menu or Sub-menu --------------------------SECTION IV----------------------- QUICK KEYS: ---------------------------------------------------------- Game Mode: -Use Cursor Keys To Move Character Up, Down, Left Or Right. -Left Control Key To Push or Function like pressing joystick trigger button -Left Ctrl To Start Game -Hold Down ALT & Press F4 To Exit Game -F1 To Toggle Full Screen Editor Mode: -Use Cursor Keys To Move Character Up, Down, Left Or Right. -Hold Down ALT & Press F4 To Exit -F1 To Toggle Full Screen -Left Or Right Alt Key to back out of an item placement or release control of the <> cursor to allow another item to be highlighted. -While In Editor Mode, the number pad MUST used to move Rockford when testing a cave. (Num Lock must be engaged). Here use the ALT key to grab or push a diamond or boulder without moving Rockford(TM).