This version of BLADE is for demonstration purposes only, it is NOT for resale.
BLADE IS a 256 color arcade style game for the Macintosh. It features 11Mb of 8 bit graphics and stereo digitized sound. The Hero has 4 levels of animation consisting of over 250 frames each level. Enemies are just as detailed with intricate sequences of attack. There are a total of 15 terrorizing and bizarre screens of play.
BLADE DOES require this minimum configuration to run:
Mac with 68020 or better
2Mb minimum RAM partition, 2.5Mb with sound
8 Bit Graphics
13” Monitor (640X480) or larger
11Mb of hard disk space
System 6.07 or later
System 7 Friendly
This BLADE Demo requires 1.0Mb of hard disk space.
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QUICK LEAD IN
You are Blade, Point Lancer of the Guardian Legion, a genetically tailored army, serving as earth’s ultimate defense and attack force. . .
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PLAYING THE BLADE DEMO
Open the application BLADE by double clicking on it. At this point the title screen is loaded and the game is idle. If you wait a few seconds, the self-running demo will pop up. To exit the self-runner click the mouse button. To play choose ‘PLAY’ from the FILE Menu, or press CMD T. This command toggles the game between play and pause. When you’re in play mode, no other selection can be made from the menus, except CMD T, once you’re paused you can then make further selections.
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KEY COMMANDS
LEFT —> Moves Hero left
RIGHT —> Moves Hero right
DOWN —> Makes Hero kneel or climb down
UP —> Makes Hero jump or climb up
ATTACK —> Makes Hero attack
DOWN + LEFT or RIGHT —> Makes Hero crawl
DOWN + ATTACK —> Makes Hero attack while kneeling
JUMP + ATTACK —> Makes Hero spin kick in the air
Character control is very simple, you can choose the keys that represent LEFT, RIGHT, UP, DOWN and ATTACK under PREFERENCES in the FILE Menu. The mouse button also triggers ATTACK. The keys perform as you would think. LEFT moves the hero left, RIGHT moves him right, DOWN makes him kneel as well as climb down a ladder, UP makes him jump or climb up a ladder, ATTACK makes him attack.
You can also use the keys in combination, while you’re kneeling you can crawl with LEFT and RIGHT, you can also attack from this position. When you jump you can start moving left and right either before or after you start the jump. If you let go of the UP key early you will immediately start to fall, so hold on to the key to get maximum height. You may also attack while jumping by pressing ATTACK during the jump, as long as you hit ATTACK before the hero starts to fall he will spin attack. The spin attack also gives him a little more height. To get maximum height in a jump, hit ATTACK as late as you can in the jump.
The hero has one other ATTACK mode, when his heart is above 3/4 full the Guardian Legion Logo appears to the right of the heart. This means his stand attack is powered up. This is now his most devastating attack.
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WHAT TO DO
The idea behind the game is to collect all the Teleporter Pods by walking over
them, if there are more they will pop up after the previous is collected. When
you collect them all, the handle will appear on the Teleporter, get back to it
and ATTACK the handle, you will be transported to the next screen. Along the
way you will find PowerUp Pods, these can give you more life as well as speed.
To open the pods, ATTACK them.
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FEATURES
Speed Control
The user has the ability to set the clock speed of the game. This controls the balance between speed and overload. This feature is found in the “PREFERENCES” Menu.
Level Continue
This feature allows you to restart at the beginning of the level you were on when you were killed. It is not saved however, so when you quit the game you must start over on the first screen of level one. This feature is found in the “PREFERENCES” Menu.
MouseStick Support
BLADE supports the use of a Gravis MouseStick. To use the MouseStick, first load the “BLADE Set” using the MouseStick’s Set Maker application (v2.1.4 or greater.) In order for the MouseStick to function, you must select the “MouseStick” control option from BLADE’s “PREFERENCES” menu. You must also use BLADE’s default key settings as follows:
Key Controls
Left —> S
Right —> F
Down —> D
Up —> E
Attack —> SPACE
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MOUSESTICK CONTROL
A MouseStick setting called “BLADE Set” has been provided for MouseStick users*.
This setting will operate as follows:
1. To move the Hero LEFT, move the MouseStick handle left of center.
2. To move the Hero RIGHT, move the MouseStick handle right of center.
3. To make the Hero go DOWN, pull back on the MouseStick handle.
4. To make the Hero go UP, press button 1 on the MouseStick.
5. To make the Hero ATTACK, press button 2 on the MouseStick.
Null Zone Threshold
This allows you to set the size of the MouseStick null zone. The null zone is the area around a centered MouseStick that allows for no actions. When the stick is moved beyond this zone, over the threshold, action takes place. The horizontal value controls how far from the center before the left or right commands are generated. The vertical value controls how far from center before the down command is generated. This feature is found in the “PREFERENCES” Menu.
* The “BLADE Set” is designed for a 640 x 480 monitor size. If you are using a different monitor size, create a new BLADE Set based on the “Auto Center” set for your monitor size.
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BUG NOTE
For those of you with the Standard Apple Keyboard or Keyboard II, there is one consideration. These keyboards cannot “see” more than two key events at a time like the Extended Keyboard can. This has caused problems because this game really needs the ability to see more than two actions. There is no direct fix to the keyboard problem; it is related to the ADB processor in the keyboard. The work around is to use the mouse button for attack with these keyboards and the keys for movement control. With an Extended Keyboard you can play either with the mouse button or the key.
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ABOUT PARAGRAPH
BLADE is the first in the FLUX series of arcade style games for the Mac. Because the series is based upon our own method of developing games, we will be continually upgrading and supporting our products. Look for our next offering, Dragon Boy, soon.
For more information on a full working copy of BLADE contact your local retailer or Leviathan Corporation at:
