Welcome to Shoot Out 2000! You may remember the first two versions of Shoot Out from the Reader Games section of Amiga Format (issues 103 and 107 to be precise). Well, Shoot Out is back, and this time it is bigger and better than ever!

But why am I following the trend of so many other programmers, Electronic Arts being the main culprit, and calling the latest version of the game '2000'? I could just have easily have called this Shoot Out 3! Well, the reason is that, on New Year's Eve, I was busy programming. That might sound sad and lonely, but I was feverishly working away on another project of mine, Aliens: Homeworld. Unfortunately, I got terribly stuck at about 8pm on New Year's Eve. I spent the next few hours drinking to try and get some ideas flowing.

The idea that came to me was, "Why don't you re-vamp Shoot Out 2! It's been a while since you played that!" so I decided to temporarily postpone Aliens: Homeworld and start work on a new improved version of Shoot Out 2. That idea came into my head a few minutes after midnight, hence me calling it 'Shoot Out 2000'! It really is quite simple when you think about it! :o)

Note: Shoot Out 2000 is SHAREWARE. This is the full version of the game for Amiga Format Reader Games. If you want to send donations of cash, my address is at the very end of this document!

Oh gawd, time for some legal stuff. Stuff that I bet no-one EVER reads. Well, except lawyers and all of that, obviously!

This software is provided 'AS IS', and the author of the software refuses to take any responsibility for any damage to you or your machine whilst using this software. You use this software at your own risk! It has been tested and has proven very stable in testing. There may be (read, will be) bugs in the software, but none of those bugs should cause damage to either you or your machine.
Attempting to use this software on any machine other than an Amiga may result in damage to the machine in question. It has been written for use on Amiga computers only, and whilst it may work under an emulator, this has not been tested.
Graphics card compatibility is not known. It should theoretically be entirely compatible with graphics card based machines, but as no-one at Joker Developments has a graphics card based machine, testing it on one is a bit difficult!
This software is copyright, and the copyright is held by the author, Gareth Griffiths. You may distribute this software anywhere you wish, provided that no files from the distribution are modified or tampered with in ANY way.
This software is SHAREWARE. Whilst you have the full version, a lot of work has gone into this software, and a donation would be appreciated! If you wish to send a donation, the address is at the very end of this document.

Phew!

To be able to play Shoot Out 2000, you will need the following system setup (or better):

• An Amiga computer with Workbench 1.3 or above.
• Approximately 1Mb (one megabyte) of free RAM.
• A Joystick plugged into port 2 (the usual Joystick port)

• A hard drive is not required, but recommended for loading speed.
• A Joystick plugged into port 1 (the mouse port) for 2-player games.

Playing Shoot Out 2000 is really simple. It is a game designed for two human players, but I have finally included a one player option in this version.
Like previous versions, the battle takes place in a playing area. Unlike previous versions, there are four different sectors in this game. You can move between the different sectors in order to escape from enemy fire, or to get a better angle on a power-up. There are three different weapons in the game, as opposed to the previous version, which had just the one. The weapons get progressively more powerful, but also slower in the process.

As always, the objective is to completely destroy the other craft. You do this using your weapons. Note that all three weapons only fire in a straight line, so to get a good shot, you must be in the sector exactly opposite your opponent, which also means they can get a good shot at you!

If you are in the left or right hand sectors, you push UP or DOWN on the Joystick to move in that direction. If you are in the top or bottom sectors, you use LEFT and RIGHT in order to move about. Firing your weapon is done using the FIRE BUTTON, regardless of what sector you are in.

To move between sectors, you must travel to the extreme edge of your current sector, and whilst holding down the direction you wish to travel, press the FIRE BUTTON. You will be teleported to the relevant sector. For example, if you are in the left hand sector, and you want to move to the top sector, you would push UP until you reached the top of the sector. Then, whilst still pushing UP, you would press the FIRE BUTTON and then be teleported into the top sector.

There are various power-ups available in the game. Below is as detailed a description of each that is needed:

	Single Shot. The standard weapon. Takes one armour point.
	Dual Shot. Upgrade to above. Takes two armour points.
	Plasma Ball. The creme de la creme. Takes FOUR armour points.
	Armour. Adds one armour point to your craft..
	Extra Life. Gives you one more ship to fight with.
	Speed-Up. Speeds up your craft slightly.
	Slow-Down. Slows down your craft.

Simply shoot the power-up to collect it. Note that it is possible to collect an inferior weapon to the one you already have! You don't think I'd make it THAT easy do you? :o)

Greets

Contacting The Author