Space Tork documentation GIHPN - Groupe Informatique HP NIMP v1.04, 15 March 1997 This document explains you how to install and play Space Tork. ______________________________________________________________________ Table of Contents: 1. Introduction 2. How to install and launch Space Tork ? 3. Configuring Space Tork 3.1. Space Tork's menus 3.2. List of the options 3.3. List of other menus 4. How to play Space Tork ? 5. Levels and graphic files 6. Credits 7. Latest modifications ______________________________________________________________________ 11.. IInnttrroodduuccttiioonn Space Tork was exclusively programmed at school by Sammy, with Alex and Nopid giving extremely useful advice. Let them be thanked a lot. Space Tork is a shoot-them-up-and-kill-them-all-so-that-they-won't-be- nasty-any-more. However, as this concept sounded a bit boring to us, we added a race feature : the aim of the game is actually to achieve laps with your spaceship, with aliens trying to stop you, which you have of course to inexpugnably destroy. Each time you break a record, your time and name are saved in the level file, which you can then swap with your friends. This is a side of the game we wanted to develop. The other interesting side of the game is its configurability : you can choose how gravity and atmosphere act on your ship, as well as your engine power, resistance to shocks, and so on... We expect you to enjoy playing Space Tork as much as we enjoyed programming it, and therefore we would be glad if you sent us any of your comments, have they to be complaints or harsh critic. Thanks for using our software ! all the GIHPN and NIMP membership. 22.. HHooww ttoo iinnssttaallll aanndd llaauunncchh SSppaaccee TToorrkk ?? The only file you have to download to your hp48 is the SSTT..LLIIBB file. Follow the instructions that are in your manual, since the manipulation will depend on the software your are currently using. Once the file has been downloaded, you have to install the library. Again, refer to your manual. Note that if you are getting short of RAM (especially if you are the owner of an hp48G), you may recall the library in the stack, purge the variable, and then install the library. ______________________________________________________________________ Technical information : library number : 1526 size (in bytes) and object checksum : first version: 18495.5 / #877h version 1.01: 18406.5 / #C3F4h version 1.02: 18634.5 / #535Eh version 1.03: 18678 / #1963h version 1.04: 18684.5 / #82E6h ______________________________________________________________________ To launch Space Tork, type SSTT . You can also go to the library menu by doing lleefftt sshhiifftt ++ [[22]], then choosing the [[SS..TT..]] menu label, and finally pressing the first menu key. The only problem you might encounter is a NNoott EEnnoouugghh MMeemmoorryy error. If this problem was to occur, the only solution would be to free some RAM. Note that Space Tork needs a minimum of 8,100 bytes to run properly. And sometimes it is not enough. 33.. CCoonnffiigguurriinngg SSppaaccee TToorrkk 33..11.. SSppaaccee TToorrkk''ss mmeennuuss They are agenced as follows : · Play Space Tork · System configuration · Fighter name · View and control · Redefine keys · Control · S9 System · Offscreen mode · World attributes · Gravity · Bounce effect · Air resistance · Alien's rebirth · Ship's properties · Engine power · Spin speed · Recoil · Resistance · Rebuild speed · Levels · About current level · Change level · · · Next page · Help and texts · About · Statistics · Help · Cheat menu · Quit Space Tork · D'ya really wanna quit Space Tork ? (Yes / No) You can access a menu by pressing the key letter written beside its title. There are two ways of quitting a menu : if ''FF.. BBaacckk ......'' appears on screen, pressing [[FF]] or [[OONN]] will take you to the superior menu. If this option does not appear, you are in an information menu, and pressing any key will take you to the next screen, until you automatically reach the end of the menu. To configure an option, press the key associated to it. Most of the labels are cycling labels that cycle between {{eennaabblleedd ddiissaabblleedd }} or {{ llooww nnoorrmmaall hhiigghh }}. Your configuration is automatically saved, so you don't have to reconfigure Space Tork when you play again, as long as you don't purge the SSTTPPAARR file. 33..22.. LLiisstt ooff tthhee ooppttiioonnss FFiigghhtteerr nnaammee Allows you to enter your name, so that any subsequent records will be recorded with this name. Default name is SSaammmmyy. RReeddeeffiinnee kkeeyyss Defines keys for thrust, left, right, fire, shield, pause. Default are [[EENNTTEERR]], [[<<--]], [[-->>]], [[..]], [[SSPPCC]], [[DDEELL]]. CCoonnttrrooll Sets the way the keys you press are managed : · SSttaannddaarrdd : if left xor right are pressed, thrust is ignored. · SSlliicckk : if thrust is pressed, it is always taken into account. · SSiiddeetthhrruusstt : the thrust key is disabled, and the ship accelerates when left and right are pressed. · SSiiddeetthhrruusstt pplluuss : the thrust key is disabled, the ship accelerates whenever left or right is pressed. Default is SSttaannddaarrdd. SS99 ssyysstteemm S9 stands for Sammy's superb and sensational super slick and smoothly scrolling screen system. When activated, your ship does not stay in the center of the screen, and moves in a very smooth way. Default is EEnnaabblleedd. OOffffssccrreeeenn mmooddee Turns the screen off when playing, in order to gain about ten percent in speed. What ? A joke ? Well, yes... that's why default is DDiissaabblleedd. GGrraavviittyy Sets the gravity level. BBoouunnccee eeffffeecctt Sets the loss of speed when your ship collides with something. AAiirr rreessiissttaannccee Well, speaks for itself, doesn't it ? AAlliieenn rreebbiirrtthh Sets the delay between an alien's death and its reapparition on the screen. EEnnggiinnee ppoowweerr Sets the thrust you give to your ship when accelerating. SSppiinn ssppeeeedd Sets the speed of the ship's rotation. Note that this option is the only one among the Ships properties / World attributes options which does not affect the computer considering a record is fair or unfair... RReeccooiill Sets the recoil of your cannon. RReessiissttaannccee Well, the more, the longer you'll live... RReebbuuiilldd ssppeeeedd Sets the speed of the computer giving you extra power, extra ammo and extra shield. The last nine options are the ones that have the greatest impact on the gameplay. Default is NNoorrmmaall for each of them. 33..33.. LLiisstt ooff ootthheerr mmeennuuss AAbboouutt ccuurrrreenntt lleevveell Gives you information about the artist, the designer, and the name of current level and graphic library. CChhaannggee lleevveell Lets you choose another level from the ones currently installed. AAbboouutt Gives you some information about us... SSttaattiissttiiccss One of the most funny parts of the help and texts menu : tells you the number of times you started Space Tork, the total amount of time you spent playing, the number of races you finished, the bullets you shot, the aliens you killed, and many, many more... HHeellpp A quick help telling you the aim of the game. CChheeaatt mmeennuu Try for yourself... 44.. HHooww ttoo ppllaayy SSppaaccee TToorrkk ?? Well, you just have to wander about, shoot at aliens on your way, bounce everywhere, and fly through gates. TThhee ppllaayyggrroouunndd Your ship bounces on the black parts of the playground, but, as only its rear end is protected, your are likely to lose power this way. When your power reaches zero, your ship explodes and you lose one life. You start with three lives. TThhee ggaatteess There are four of them on the playing area. They are lighter than the other elements of the game, so you can spot them easily. Each of them has a number (from II to IIVV).You have to fly through them in this order, three times, in order to finish the race. The next gate you will have to fly through is flickering, so it isn't very difficult to find it. TThhee aalliieennss There are six little aliens on the screen. The program considers them as part of the playground, and their contact is all the deadlier as they explode whenever they collide with something. When an alien dies, it reappears a short time later. There's also a 'big boss', that is, the mothership that creates aliens. It takes seven shots to be killed, and when it dies, all the little aliens die with it. But they reappear afterwards, so you are not given a big breathing space... FFiirriinngg You may fire one bullet at a time. It explodes when colliding with anything, whatever it may be : an alien, a part of the playing area, or even yourself dd==oopp TThhee sshhiieelldd The shield makes you unkillable as long as you press the appropriate key. But you rapidly get short of it, so use it with care. WWiinnnniinngg You win when you have done three turns. The program automatically quits. LLoossiinngg You lose when you have lost three lives. The program automatically quits. 55.. LLeevveellss aanndd ggrraapphhiicc ffiilleess Levels and graphic files are Library Data objects for the hp48. Levels are stored in the SSTTLLEEVV directory in HHOOMMEE, and graphic files are stored in the SSTTGGFFXX directory. There's a program named WWAATTSSDDZZ?? ( ''What's this ?'' in poor English :) in the library which, given a Library Data, tells you whether it is a level or a graphic file, or even nothing. WWAATTSSDDZZ?? will also tell you how the file should be stored in order to be recognized by Space Tork. Levels are stored as SSTT************..LLEEVV, and gfx files as SSTT******..GGFFXX. There's only one level and one graphic file in the library, because they take some place in memory... If you want to design levels or graphic types, contact us, we would be glad to send you the official description of all levels. I anyone feels like writing a level editor, I'd be _v_e_r_y happy ! 66.. CCrreeddiittss The first idea for this game came from Gravity Force II on Amiga, a powerful 2-player game which gave me hours of fun dogfighting. Gravity Force II was written by Barf and Mad Lamer of Bits Software (Sweden), and was itself inspired by Gravity Force, written by KingSoft. Then Barf and Mad Lamer wrote Gravity Power, an enhanced version of GF2, still for the Amiga, and it gave me the idea of writing one for the hp48. I first called it ''Gravity Power hp'', but I wasn't happy with such a name. I then called it ''Le jeu du p'tit vaisseau'' (the little spaceship game), but it was too long. Then I thought of ''Space Tork'', because of torques, which we would study last year, and which we would hate. May Barf and Mad Lamer be thanked for what they brought to me. I would also like to thank Alex, for the constructive critics he made about this game, and for the good ideas he has always had. And I apologize for having not finished DBZ, our first game on hp48, which was to be the best arcade game ever written on hp48... Sorry, I was lazy. Great thanks to Nopid who spent hours alpha-testing my game, then beta-testing it, and even gamma-testing it when I thought it was perfect (but it wasn't. It still isn't :-)). A great thanks to Nopid too for having opening me the doors of Linux's marvelous world and SGML file format. (NDSam: Eh ! vas-y, te gene pas, mets-toi des felicitations tout seul !!) (NDNopid: Mais c'est ce que je fais mon grand ! ;)) (NDSam: Eh ! Sur un autre ton hein !) Special ccoouuccoouu !! and dd==oopp for N'Alex, too. (NDNopid: Eh ! it's MY girlfriend ! OK ?) Also thanks to M. Mortier, our S.I. teacher during year 1995/96, who didn't manage to explain us what a torque really was... Thanks to M.Marchal and M.Prevot, our physics and French teacher (96/97), who let us play whenever we want. Special KKrraaaaaaaaaaaaaaaassssssssss !! to Colette (Maths 96/97) and M.Grenard (Maths 95/96), who don't seem to like hp48s very much... Oh, and the same one to TI92 users ! (NDNopid: and to Casio users too except N'Alex =o)) Also a great, big, enormous, huge PPoo vvrriiddiioo !!!!!!!! to Marchadour, also known as ''Marchadour ta gueule'', for having backed-up on his hard disk the Zip cartridge where I usually put my hp48 backups, for having then erased these files on the cartridge to put crap software on it, and for finally having formated his hard disk, due to what sounded to me like a virus... So you were sorry ? Well, I am quite cross. But who wouldn't be, if all the work he had done on his hp for the last four years suddenly disappeared ? 30Mb of asm programs, of nice GROBs, of impressive animations, of clever maths programs, of... of everything ! Who's gonna pay for that ? Send me a postcard ! Hey ! Imagine what you could have had if I had had the time and if Marchadour hadn't erased all my ideas, all my work, all my sources, all my life !!! Hum. Maybe not my life, after all. - intelligent (not pre-programmed) aliens - firing aliens - special weapons - other graphics for the ship and the aliens - blast of explosions - level compression - 4-grayscale lev­ els (these ones were only to show you our real superpowers :)) Be happy with what you have, and enjoy playing Space Tork !!! Sammy and all the NIMP staff and NOT Marchadour ! 7. Latest modifications March 3rd, 1997 : version 1.01 removed a little bug ... added the STVERSION entry in library updated ST.DOC March 4th, 1997 : version 1.02 removed another annoying bug made WHATSDIZ? and STVERSION use the main program's display routines updated ST.DOC March 11th, 1997 :: version 1.03 removed what I thought to be the last bug :) updated ST.DOC March 15th, 1997 : version 1.04 made the shield last half the time it used to, because nobody was using the cannon anymore. changed the default keys to Nopid's favourite. But I don't like them. fixed a 'minor' bug which would randomly give you one life less. re-wrote ST.DOC in LinuxDoc-SGML format, and renamed it. tried to correct a few English mistakes in this document... You can get the latest version of Space Tork, as well as new levels (well, when we have finished them...) from The N'IMP Team website .