
                                    ORB WARS
                           Created by Simo Savolainen


Tmn tekstin suomenkielisen version lydt tiedostosta README.FIN
(A Finnish version of this text can be found in a file called README.FIN)


Read This First
---------------

  Orb Wars is a shareware computer game. You may use an unregistered copy of
  it for a trial period of 21 days in order to see whether you like it and to
  make sure that it is compatible with your hardware. After the trial period
  you must either buy a registered version of Orb Wars or stop using it.

  You may distribute the unregistered version of Orb Wars provided that all
  the files are included and no fee is charged. You may not use Orb Wars or
  any part of it for ANY commercial purposes without a written permission
  from the author Simo Savolainen. Custom levels (files with an "LVL" exten-
  sion) may be distributed together with the unregistered version or sepa-
  rately, on their own, so long as no fee is charged for them. A registered
  copy may NOT be distributed, and may only be used on one computer at a time.

  You may not modify, disassemble, reverse engineer or decompile Orb Wars in
  any way.

  Orb Wars is provided "as is" without warranties of any kind. Under no cir-
  cumstances shall the author be liable for any losses or damages with regard
  to the product.

  The author reserves all rights not granted above.

  IF YOU DO NOT ACCEPT OR AGREE TO THE TERMS STATED ABOVE, YOU MAY NOT USE OR
  DISTRIBUTE ORB WARS!



What Is Orb Wars
----------------

  Orb Wars is a computer game for one or two players. The players pilot their
  space crafts and usually try to destroy each other. There are also race
  levels where the players attempt to fly along a certain route as quickly as
  possible. Now, in version 1.1, there is also a computer player to fight
  with. The computer only tries to destroy the human player; it does not
  compete with him in race levels. Since the computer cannot actually see
  the levels as a human player can, collisions with ground do not affect it
  (otherwise it would be no match for a human).



System Requirements
-------------------

  A pentium-level PC with a fast display adapter is recommended. To hear the
  sound effects you need an ADLIB or Sound Blaster compatible sound card.
  Orb Wars and the level editor run on computers with 4 MB of memory.

  Orb Wars might work without problems under Windows, but as it is designed
  for DOS environment, it is advisable to run it in DOS to reach sufficient
  speed. A mouse and a properly installed mouse driver are required in order
  to use the level editor of the registered version.



How To Get Started
------------------

  To play Orb Wars, run ORBWARS.EXE and press any key when you see the
  starting picture. In the main screen there are three buttons (OPTIONS,
  START and SHOW LEVEL) in the upper part of the screen and a list of levels.
  You must first load a level by selecting one from the level list (use arrow
  keys and press enter). After that, simply press the START button to play.

  If you wish to see the current level, press the SHOW LEVEL button (before
  or after playing). Various options can be changed by pressing the OPTIONS
  button.

  When pressing the START button the game begins immediately. The game screen
  is divided into two windows and a panel. The surroundings of player 1 are
  shown in the upper window and the surroundings of player 2 in the lower win-
  dow. The panel shows the status of the players: lives (boxes), shield ('S'),
  fuel ('F') and ammo for the weapons ('I' and 'II').

  The space crafts have "ballistic controls", i.e. they can be rotated and
  thrust forward. When the space craft is not inside a force field, it is
  subject to gravitation (which should be compensated by the engine). The
  space craft is equipped with two weapons which can be used to damage the
  other player and to destroy soft ground. The default keyboard controls are:
  
      Player 1 thrust ................... Numpad 8 (UP ARROW)
      Player 1 rotate clockwise.......... Numpad 6 (RIGHT ARROW)
      Player 1 rotate counterclockwise .. Numpad 4 (LEFT ARROW)
      Player 1 fire weapon I ............ Enter
      Player 1 fire weapon II ........... Backspace
      Player 2 thrust ................... S
      Player 2 rotate clockwise.......... C
      Player 2 rotate counterclockwise .. Z
      Player 2 fire weapon I ............ CTRL
      Player 2 fire weapon II ........... ALT

  The levels are composed of several materials: air, water and four types of
  charging force fields as well as of soft and hard ground. When the space
  craft touches soft ground, the shield is reduced and the ground disappears.
  When bumping into hard ground, the craft bounces off leaving the ground
  intact and losing part of its shield depending on its velocity and collision
  angle.

  Depending on its type, a force field can charge the space crafts with:
      - shield, fuel and ammo for both weapons
      - fuel only
      - ammo for weapon I only
      - ammo for weapon II only

  The game ends when one of the players has lost all his lives or when ESC is
  pressed.



Registering Orb Wars
--------------------

  If Orb Wars works fine in your PC and you like it, you are encouraged to re-
  gister it. There are two ways to register it outside Finland:

    1) Pay me USD 10, GBP 6, DEM 15 or FIM 45 by bank transfer.
       My account is:

         MERITA BANK, JYVSKYL, FINLAND, account number 104535-127872,
         shift code MRITFIHH.

       Then send me the RECEIPT, your NAME and your exact MAILING ADDRESS
       (printed or in block letters).
       My address is:

         Simo Savolainen
         Luotipussi 21
         FIN-40630 Jyvskyl
         FINLAND

    2) Send me USD 10, GBP 6, DEM 15 or FIM 45 in a letter, your NAME and
       exact MAILING ADDRESS. This is the cheaper way as you need not pay
       extra for a bank transfer. Sending money in a letter can be risky,
       though. Do NOT send CHEQUES!

  You can send comments and suggestions concerning Orb Wars together with
  your registration.

  If you wish to register Orb Wars in Finland, you will find instructions in
  Finnish in the file README.FIN.

  As soon as you have registered Orb Wars, I will send you your personal
  registration codes which you then enter in the game (press 'R' in the main
  screen) to register your copy. The codes will also work in updated versions.

  Once you have registered your copy of Orb Wars, you can use the level editor
  (EDITOR.EXE) to create and edit levels.

  It might be a good idea to run EDITOR.EXE before registration to make sure
  it works in your computer. If the editor asks you to register your copy, it
  will probably work fine. Please contact me if you encounter any problems.



Custom Levels
-------------

  Levels can be designed only with the registered version of Orb Wars. When
  EDITOR.EXE is executed, a menu appears. If you choose to create a new level,
  you are asked to enter the number of the level library you wish to use. To
  find out which libraries you can use, enter a question mark instead of a
  number. After selecting the library you are requested to give the width and
  height (in pixels) of the level.

  If you choose to load a level, you are asked to enter the file name of the
  level. Enter as many letters as needed to find the correct name.

  If you have been editing a level previously and you have saved your work
  using the "save session" function (described later), you also have a "load
  session" alternative in the starting menu. With it you can quickly get back
  to your work.

  Now you should see the main view of the editor (the editing window and a
  panel under it). The editor is mostly operated with the mouse, but some keys
  are also needed. The keyboard help screen can be displayed by pressing 'H'.

  The levels are built from small pieces, entries. In principle, there are
  four kinds of entries: basic tiles, unique tiles, boxes and triangles. Any
  of these can also be drawn on the background, behind the previously drawn
  ones. In the editor these "background versions" are treated as separate
  entries, so there actually are eight different entries.

  Basic tiles are in the same order in every level library. Each of them has
  a special function when drawn in their real colors (without a color mask or
  a texture; more of these below). When basic tiles are used this way, they
  are called "functional basic tiles". In a level there can be only one func-
  tional basic tile of a given type (for example, you can place only one
  starting position for each player). The following basic tile types have
  been implemented (so far):
    - Starting positions for player 1 and player 2
    - Three teleport pairs (teleport 1A takes to 1B and vice versa)
    - Corner marks of 8 race checkpoint areas (a top left corner and a bottom
      right corner must be placed to define a checkpoint area)
  Basic tiles (and unique tiles) are positioned by pressing the left mouse
  button at a desired position. If you place a functional basic tile in the
  level and there already is one of the same type, the existing tile will be
  removed. If you wish to totally delete a functional basic tile, choose the
  "basic tile" entry and the desired type (just as you would be placing one)
  and then press 'B' (remove selected basic tile).

  Unique tiles look different in different level libraries. Some of them re-
  present complex objects (e.g. trees). They are usually drawn in their real
  colors. Some unique tiles (as well as some basic tiles) are useful shapes
  when creating terrain (you can, for example, draw a box and cut a round pie-
  ce off it). When used for this purpose, the tiles are normally drawn using
  a color mask or a texture (these are activated by pressing the corresponding
  button in the panel). When a color mask is active, all entries are made
  using random colors from the current color range. The color range is chosen
  from the palette displayed in the panel. The lowest color is selected with
  the left mouse button, the highest with the right mouse button. Different
  colors represent different materials (e.g. water). When a texture is active,
  all entries are drawn with a certain pixel pattern. The pattern is selected
  with the arrow keys after pressing the texture button.

  Boxes and triangles have no "real" colors. Either a color mask or a texture
  is always active when drawing them. To draw a box, press (and hold) down the
  left mouse button to fix the first corner of the box, drag the other corner
  to its position and release the mouse button. Drawing a triangle is similar
  to drawing a box, but you must place the third corner after releasing the
  mouse button (click it once again to place the third corner).

  If you misplace an entry you can undo the action by pressing 'U'. Pressing
  'U' again (before placing another entry) will restore the entry to the same
  place. You can use the arrow keys to move the cursor accurately.

  If you wish to remove an entry after which you have placed a new entry (you
  can not use undo), simply cover it with another entry and, when saving the
  level, let the editor remove invisible tiles. This will not work with func-
  tional basic tiles, they are removed with the "remove selected basic tile"
  function ('B').

  Before building a level out of entries it is recommended to plan it well.
  Creating a complex landscape (with triangles for example) is much easier if
  you already see the outline of the intended shapes. To achieve this the edi-
  tor has a feature called "temporary dots". Temporary dots are white pixels
  that are drawn directly on the image which you see in the editing window.
  As the level is actually just a group of entries (tiles, boxes and triangles
  which are combined into an image when playing or editing the level), the
  dots are not saved when saving a level. All temporary dots disappear when
  the level is redrawn by pressing 'R'. The undo function has no effect on the
  dots (it only works with entries).

  When "dot mirroring" is activated (press 'M' to switch between mirroring
  modes), all temporary dots are, when drawn, copied symmetrically to other
  positions. Dot mirroring helps to plan symmetrical levels.

  It is possible to lock the mouse movements on either of the axes (or, if
  you want, on both). Pressing 'X' locks the mouse in X direction (so the
  cursor moves only vertically with the mouse) and 'Y' locks the Y direction.
  Pressing 'X' or 'Y' again will unlock the corresponding axis. Note that the
  cursor can be moved with the arrow keys also if mouse movement is locked.

  One thing should be remembered if there is water in the level: never draw
  soft ground into water. When soft ground is destroyed the spot is replaced
  with background colors (air), so it would look rather strange. This also
  means that the ground next to water must be hard ground.

  If you want to create a race track, you must create some checkpoint areas.
  A checkpoint area is defined by placing two basic tiles, corners A and B
  (see basic tiles above). The race timer starts when the player enters check-
  point area 1 and stops when the player enters the last checkpoint area after
  touching every checkpoint in the correct order. Note that every time the
  player enters the first checkpoint, the timer is reset. It is advisable to
  make a checkpoint area wide enough (e.g. ten pixels) so that a player's
  center touches it at any speed. It is also important to mark these check-
  points so that a player (who cannot see the corners) knows where each check-
  point is. Number plates etc. can be found among the unique tiles for this
  purpose.

  When you have finished your level you probably wish to save it. Before that
  you can check if your level is playable by pressing 'C'. If you are going to
  continue your work later and there are some temporary dots you still need,
  just press 'F12' to save the whole session. After doing that you can quit
  without saving the level (press both left and right mouse buttons on "quit
  w/o saving") if the session was successfully saved. When running the editor
  again choose the third option (load session) in the start menu to resume
  your work. However, you must save the level if you wish to try/play it in
  the game. In that case (or if you are not going to edit the level any more)
  simply press "quit and save" with both mouse buttons. You can also load and
  edit a level saved this way, but the temporary dots are only saved with a
  session (which, by the way, requires a lot of disk space unlike a mere level
  file).



Versions
--------

  v. 1.00  (13-12-1996)
           The first public release.

  v. 1.10  (24-04-1997)
           New features:
             Computer pilot (try the 'two players' option in the OPTIONS menu)
             Digital (SB) sound effects
             Much faster level loading
             New weapons: Dirt Device and Bomb
             Two new levels (made by my little brother)
             Lots of minor improvements

  In future versions e.g.:
  - more levels (also look for levels made by registered users),
  - new level libraries,
  - new weapons.

  What would you like to improve in this game? Any suggestions?
  


How to contact the author
-------------------------

  If you have any questions, comments, bug reports, etc.,
  please let me know (by e-mail or regular). My address is:

    Simo Savolainen
    Luotipussi 21
    FIN-40630 Jyvskyl
    FINLAND

  My e-mail address is: simsavo@silmu.cc.jyu.fi
                        (or ssavol@freenet.hut.fi)

  (The ""'s in the word "Jyvskyl" are supposed to look like "a"'s with
  dots on top. You may also use plain a's.)
