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1994-12-04
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Documentation Manual For:
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Press F1 for help
Copyright (1994)
William D. Rinehart
ALL RIGHTS RESERVED
E-Mail: WDaveR2@aol.com
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This is the first version of Gemstones to have a
document file to describe the game.
I hope you find it useful.
P.S. - Probe uses the <SCROLL LOCK> key!
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C O N T E N T S
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1 - Notes from the Programmer
PROGRAM REQUIREMENTS
SHAREWARE
HOW TO ORDER GEMSTONES III - DELUXE EDITION
DISCLAIMER - AGREEMENT
A NOTE TO DISTRIBUTORS
GEMSTONES HISTORY
RANDOM LEVELS?
2 - How to play
THE COMMAND LINE
THE MOUSE
THE MAIN MENU
SETUP
THE GAME
3 - The Gems (Details)
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N O T E S F R O M T H E P R O G R A M M E R
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PROGRAM REQUIREMENTS
Gemstones III requires a VGA monitor and at least 554 Kb of
free memory to run. See your DOS documentation for assistance
on optimizing memory usage.
SHAREWARE
Gemstones III is distributed through the Shareware concept.
The author is willing to give this program to you, free of
charge, in the hopes that you will like it enough to purchase
the "Deluxe Edition". The essence of this distribution method
is to provide personal computer users with quality software
without high prices. Shareware provides an outstanding service
to computer users, but will only continue as long as the people
who write these programs are supported. Even if you don't order
the "Deluxe Edition", you can help the author by sharing this
program with anyone you think will enjoy it.
HOW TO ORDER GEMSTONES III - DELUXE EDITION
If you enjoy playing Gemstones III, you should consider
purchasing Gemstones III - Deluxe Edition. To order, send a
registration payment of $19.95 (US) to:
William D. Rinehart
811 Reseda Dr.
Houston, TX 77062
The $19.95 registration fee will license one Deluxe Edition copy
for use on any one computer at any one time. The file ORDER.FRM
can be printed and used in ordering.
DISCLAIMER - AGREEMENT
Users of Gemstones III must accept this disclaimer of warranty:
"Gemstones III is supplied as is. The author disclaims all
warranties, expressed or implied, including, without limitation,
the warranties of merchantability and of fitness for any
purpose. The author assumes no liability for damages, direct or
consequential, which may result from the use of Gemstones III."
A NOTE TO DISTRIBUTORS
Shareware distributors can receive a "certified authentic" copy
of the Gemstones III by sending the author a self addressed,
stamped envelope and $1.00 (to cover handling & the price of the
disk). Thanks for your support!
GEMSTONES HISTORY
Gemstones - The original Gemstones was written as a
marketing test, to measure the interest in
breakout style games. The program was released
in September 1993. There is no registered
version. From the beginning, Gemstones has
allowed as many as six players in a game and
individual player difficulty levels. Twenty
levels are included in the game and there are 6
types of gems. This program has also been
released in a "Fun Pack for DOS" game pack, by
WizardWorks Group Inc.
Gemstones II - Written in response to registrations, this
version added many features to the game,
including sound-card support and multiple moving
balls. This program was released in March 1994.
A Deluxe Edition is available for $9.95. The
shareware version has ten levels and 15 types of
gems, while the Deluxe Edition has 55 levels and
16 types of gems.
Gemstones III - Also written in response to registrations,
this program has all the features originally
envisioned by the programmer. The game released
in December 1994, has background music and 43 types
of bitmapped gems. Three difficulty levels control
game speed and gem variety. The shareware version
has five levels per game selected randomly from a
database of ten levels. A Deluxe Edition is
available for $19.95. The Deluxe Edition has
twenty levels per game selected randomly from a
database of 100 levels.
Gemstones IV - This one is up to you!
RANDOM LEVELS?
Gemstones III introduces the random level concept. This
multiplies the challenge of the game since you never know what
level will be next. You will find yourself asking, "Should I
use my last excavator on this level, or will I need one for the
next". This is also the answer to not providing a save game
option. Several registered users did request this. With
everything else in the game, I just did not have room to put a
save option into the program! Therefore, I reduced the game
levels to 20 in the registered version, and select the levels
randomly from 100 possible levels. This keeps the game playing
time down and the interest level high. I do have a plan to
include saving games in my next release. Thanks for your
patience.
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H O W T O P L A Y
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THE COMMAND LINE
For best results, do not run Gemstones III from within Windows.
On some computers, the balls may appear to jump across the
screen.
To start Gemstones III from the DOS command line:
1. Change directories to the directory which has the file
GEMS3.EXE in it.
2. Type "GEMS3" and press enter.
THE MOUSE
Within Gemstones III, the mouse buttons and movement have
the following keyboard equivalents:
Left mouse button = <ENTER> or <Y> (YES)
Right mouse button = <ESC> or <N> (NO )
Roll left = Left arrow key
Roll right = Right arrow key
Roll forward = Up arrow key
Roll back = Down arrow key
THE MAIN MENU
The main menu offers eight options:
Start a game
This option will initiate a new game. The player will
be prompted for the number of players in the game.
After the number of players has been entered, the game
will prompt for each player's name, and individual
difficulty level.
Resume a game
This option will allow a game in progress to be
resumed. While a game is in progress, press <ESC> to
exit to the main menu. Adjustments to game/mouse
speed can be made, and the game can be resumed from
where it was left.
Restart a game
This option will start a new game, using the player
information that has already been entered.
Information
Select this option to see registration information,
gem quick reference screens, etc...
Setup
This option will present a screen which can be used to
configure gemstones III options (see "SETUP" below).
Demo
The computer will play a game when this option is
selected. This option is not available while a game
is in progress.
Quit
Select this option to exit the Gemstones III program.
SETUP
The first time Gemstones III is run, it will configure itself
for optimum use. The setup menu allows the user to override
the default configuration. Select an option to change by
highlighting the option and press <ENTER>. Then, set the option
to the desired state and press <ESC>.
The setup menu offers four options:
Computer speed
This adjustment will change the speed of the ball(s).
A scale is presented showing a range from 0 to 100.
The game speed should be adjusted so that the ball
can be comfortably blocked, at the start of the game,
on the "Experienced" difficulty level. The balls will
move at increasing speeds as the game progresses.
Ball speeds are automatically reduced for the lower
experience levels.
Mouse speed
Select this option to change the speed that the paddle
moves. A scale is presented showing a range from 0 to
100.
Sound
Use this option to select the type of sound:
Background
Background music will play. A Soundblaster
compatible sound card is required to select
this option. The <B> key can be pressed to
toggle background music, while a game is
being played.
Sound Card (Foreground only)
Only the sounds of the ball will be heard.
A Soundblaster compatible sound card is
required to select this option. The <B> key
can be pressed to toggle background music,
while a game is being played.
PC Speaker
The PC speaker will be used for the sounds
of the ball.
No sound
This option will disable all sound.
Main menu
Select this option to leave setup.
THE GAME
The object of Gemstones III is to clear all the gems on the
screen and advance thru all the levels. The raw and processed
gems are the only gems required to be removed before the player
is advanced. With some clever paddle control, the other gems
can be used to greatly increase a player's score. Use the
paddle to change the ball trajectory by pressing the left mouse
button, before the ball hits the paddle, and hold the button
down until after the ball bounces off the paddle. The ball angle
will vary depending on where the ball hits the paddle and the
direction of ball movement (see diagram below). GOOD LUCK!
+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+
Destinations
The ball 1
┌─┐ 2
└─┘ 3
\
\
\ Cause the ball to hit the paddle at
\ location 1, with the left mouse button
The paddle pressed, and it will travel to
┌─────────┐ destination 1. Location 2 will take
└─────────┘ the ball to destination 2, etc...
Location: 1 2 3
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Destinations
The ball
3 ┌─┐
2 └─┘
1 /
/
/
/
The paddle
┌─────────┐
└─────────┘
Location: 1 2 3
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T H E G E M S ( D e t a i l s )
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This section gives a description of the different types of Gems.
Gemstones III is a "Traditional" breakout style game and the
gems provide unique obstacles which must be couquered on each
level.
Gem │ Description
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Raw & Processed gems These are the only gems that are required
to be hit to complete a level. These
gems have different point values, based
on color.
Blockers These gems cannot be destroyed, but at
times they can be moved or made to
disappear/reappear with switcher gems.
Switchers Switchers can cause some blockers to
disappear, reappear or move. Gold
switchers work on gold blockers, silver
switchers work on silver blockers and
stone switchers work on stone blockers.
Switchers also activate releasers,
causing them to release any balls caught.
Multi-Hit These gems must be hit four times to
completely break them up.
Add Ball This gem will give the player an
additional ball. If the player has the
maximum number of balls, a 10,000 point
bonus is awarded. This bonus is
multiplied by the players score
multiplier.
Slow Down This gem causes the ball that hits it to
slow down one speed value. Each ball has
it's own independent speed.
Speed up This gem causes the ball that hits it to
speed up one speed value.
Goop on Paddle This gem puts sticky goop onto the
player's paddle. When the ball hits a
sticky paddle, it will stick to the
paddle until the player presses <ENTER>
or the left mouse button. The goop will
wear off after five uses.
Paddle Shorter The player's paddle will be reduced in
width when this gem is hit. There are
three sizes of paddles.
Paddle Wider The player's paddle will become wider
after this gem is hit. If the paddle
is already as wide as it can be, a 10,000
point bonus is awarded. This bonus is
multiplied by the player's score
multiplier.
Multiplier Down This gem causes the current player's
score multiplier to be reduced by one.
Multiplier Up This gem causes the current player's
score multiplier to be increased by one.
If the score multiplier has already
reached the maximum value of five, a
10,000 point bonus is awarded. This
bonus is multiplied by the player's score
multiplier (50,000 points!).
Make Power Ball This gem causes the ball that hits it to
become a "Power Ball". Power balls
travel straight through many gems and cause
double damage to Multi-Hit gems.
Get Excavator Hitting this gem will earn the player an
excavator, which can be used any time the
system power is on. System power is on
when excavators are orange in color (see
system power gems below). Activate
excavators by pressing the space bar. If
the player has already stored up the
maximum number of five excavators, a
10,000 point bonus is awarded. This
bonus is multiplied by the player's score
multiplier.
Bonus Points These gems are worth 5000 points.
Moving Ball This gem causes another moving ball to be
put into play.
Moving Power Ball This gem causes a moving power ball to
be put into play.
Who Knows? Any type of gem can be hidden by this
type of gem. Hit the gem with the ball
to find out its true identity.
Teleporter This gem will transport the ball to one
of the other Teleporters. The movement
is very quick, so watch out!.
Releaser This gem will catch a ball that hits it.
A new ball will be put into play, just
like at the beginning of a new level.
The caught ball will be released when a
switcher is hit.
Group Hit Hit all of these types of gems on a level
to gain a 10,000 point bonus. This bonus
is multiplied by the player's score
multiplier.
Down a Level This gem will take the current player to
the beginning of the previous level.
Up a Level This gem terminates the current level,
and advances the player to the beginning
of the next level.
Wall Gems 1 & 2 These gems create a barrier which will
disappear when all of these gems have
been hit.
System Power Hitting this gem will toggle system
power. The system power state is
retained from level to level. Excavators
will not work when system power is off,
so plan carefully!
