Action Ware 18: Pac Mania & Coin-up Hits

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Text File | 1994-03-09 | 21.5 KB | 491 lines

Shooting Gallery Release 3.1 March 9, 1994 Nels Anderson 92 Bishop Drive Framingham, MA 01701 U.S.A. Most people seem to enjoy trying to hit a target. Whether it's tossing a ball through a hoop, trying to shoot cans off a fence, or blasting space aliens on a computer screen, there's something about it that's FUN! "Shooting Gallery" is an attempt to recreate a shooting range on a computer screen. It originally started as just a target shoot as you might find at a carnival, but even before I had that done I had ideas for other rounds. This version has seven rounds (actually two different variations on each of three ideas plus a final completely different round). Shooting Gallery shouldn't require much instruction to play. It works, basically, on the concept: "if it moves, shoot it!". Rather than reading all the way through the instructions, just play a few games and then come back for some tips on how to maximize your scores. There is help at the title screen and each round uses a portion of the screen to give you point values or tips. Shooting Gallery runs in 320x200, 256 color MCGA graphics, thus an MCGA or VGA video card and monitor is needed; Shooting Gallery will not run on CGA or EGA systems and I have no plans to convert it so that it will. It also requires a mouse. Shooting Gallery also now supports SoundBlaster (and compatible) sound cards with digitized sound effects on all rounds. To use this feature you must have a minimum of about 470,000 bytes of free conventional memory (the low 640k of memory, expanded or extended memory does not count). To get all possible sound effects you need about 495,000 bytes free. With all the great memory management tools available these days this shouldn't be much of a problem. Please note: the shareware version is distributed with only a sample sound effects file, to save on download or disk space. The sound effects file in the registered version is much larger with many more effects! One side effect of this is that the shareware version has smaller memory requirements. Shooting Gallery is distributed as Shareware -- this allows you to try it before you buy it, but if you continue to use the game you are expected to register. When you register, please let me know what version you have (it's right on the title screen) and I'd also be interested to know where you got it from. Please, make sure you put your name and address on your letter! Or you can use the instant registration form in the file "ORDERFRM.TXT". Just copy the file to your printer, fill it out, and mail it. If you're not familiar with the Shareware concept, please read the file "SHAREWRE.TXT". Registration is $15, for which I will send you a disk with the latest version, with the shareware reminders removed and including the complete (and much larger!) sound effects library for sound card users. Or for $22 you can get the "deluxe" version which includes a copy of the latest version of the game in a binder with printed instructions. Shipping and handling is $2, or $4 for outside North America or for the deluxe version. If you live in the U.K. you can register through Nildram Software. Please print the file "UKORDER.TXT" for an order form all ready to go or just send #12.95 to: Nildram Software 82 Akeman Street Tring Herts HP23 6AF If you have any suggestions or discover any problems with the program you can reach me via the Xevious BBS (PCBoard) system (300 thru 16800 bps, HST/v.32, 8N1) at 508-875-3618. Leave a C)omment to the sysop to reach me. Xevious is the official support BBS for all my software and the latest versions are always available for downloading there. There is also a support conference for people to exchange game tips or ask questions. J)oin conference #31 and check out the latest tips. Also check B)ulletin #1 for the list of latest versions of all my software. You can also reach Xevious through RelayNet. If there's a RelayNet board in your area send a routed message to me at node XEVIOUS. The Shareware conference would be the best choice, but if that's not available try TPascal, Games or even Common. I'm also available through CompuServe's email system. Send email to me at 71020,2613. Or join me and many other Shareware authors in the Shareware forum (GO SHAREWARE). Internet users can also email me at 71020.2613@compuserve.com. ***************************************************************************** * PLAYING THE GAME * ***************************************************************************** OBJECT: The object varies with each round, but in general you want to hit the targets as quickly as possible. Each round is described individually below. Even if you decide you don't like the game, please don't shoot the programmer! GENERAL: If you need to you can abort the current round at any time by hitting the ESC key. Hitting Alt-X will quickly exit the game without going through the menu screen. Rounds 1, 4 and 7 can also be paused by hitting the space key; the other rounds already have natural pauses in them. ROUND 1: This is a version of the carnival shooting booth. Different targets have different point values, as shown at the bottom of the screen. In addition, there is a bonus for hitting something on the faster moving rows: 10 extra points for the top row, and 5 extra points for the middle row. Make sure to hit the extra ammo and extra time boxes whenever they appear to keep the round going longer. The best way to maximize points is by hitting a whole row of the same target type. The number of targets in a row varies from 4 to 8, and the bonuses vary from 200 to 500: Target Description Number in a Row Bonus Value ------------------ --------------- ----------- Duck 8 300 Spinning Wheel 8 200 Squirrel 6 300 Clay Pipe 8 300 Wine Bottle 6 300 Soda Can 8 300 Beer Bottle 4 400 Pinwheel 6 300 Fruit 6 200 Heart 6 200 Smiley Face 8 200 Coffee Mug 6 200 Candle 4 500 If you need to pause the round, just hit the space bar on your keyboard. Click the mouse to restart. The game should set the speed of the targets correctly, but if you wish to speed up or slow down you can use the < and > keys to change the target speed. ROUND 2: This round requires hitting a "clay pigeon", a target that is tossed off into the distance that you try to hit with a shotgun. The target moves quickly and so rapidly grows smaller and harder to hit. For best results, try to aim a little ahead of the target; it takes a while for the shot to reach it through the distance! No points are given for a miss. When you hit, the score is based on how quickly you hit the target. See the upper right part of the scoreboard for your time. ROUND 3: In this round you must quick draw against a target. Watch the timing lights and when they turn green, draw your "Rodent .45" from its holster, aim at the center of the target and fire! Your score is based on both your time and how close you got to the exact center of the target. See the upper right part of the scoreboard for your time. ROUND 4: This is like Round 1, but with a few complications added. All the targets have changed, and their point values have, in general, doubled. The bonuses for hitting targets on the faster moving rows have doubled as well. To make things more complicated, the targets will change direction at random times. Also, there's a special target labelled "HIT ME". Do what the target says! If you don't hit it before it scrolls off the screen there is a 500 point penalty. As in Round 1, the best way to get a top score is by hitting a whole row of the same target. In this round, the number of targets in a row varies from 4 to 8, and the bonuses vary from 600 to 1000: Target Description Number in a Row Bonus Value ------------------ --------------- ----------- Bell 8 600 Flower 6 800 Baseball 8 600 Bomb 4 600 Alarm Clock 6 600 Beer Bottle 4 1000 Diskette 8 600 Shield 6 800 Chicken 5 800 Flowers 6 800 Stein 6 600 Wreath 5 800 If you need to pause the round, just hit the space bar on your keyboard. Click the mouse to restart. The game should set the speed of the targets correctly, but if you wish to speed up or slow down you can use the < and > keys to change the target speed. ROUND 5: Once again you're at the skeet shooting range as in round 2. This time, though, you're equipped with a double barrel shotgun and you'll have two clay pigeons to hit each time. You're given points for each target you hit, even if you hit only one out of two. Your time, though, is always based on the time it takes to make both shots. Shoot fast for the highest score. ROUND 6: As in Round 3 you must quick draw against a target. This time, though, there are two targets to hit. HIT THE LEFT TARGET FIRST! You are scored separately on the accuracy of each shot, but your time is your total time for both shots. ROUND 7: Suddenly you find yourself back in the wild west and your town has been invaded by a gang of bad guys, all wearing dark hats! The object of this round is to finish off all the bad guys without shooting the townspeople. You have a limited amount of ammunition and time before the bad guys take over for good. Each bad guy shot will earn you 100 points. Finish off all 40 or more bad guys in time and earn an additional 100 point bonus for each second of time remaining. However, unlike the other rounds, these targets shoot back! Lose two seconds for each shot the bad guys get off. Also, if you hit one of the townspeople you lose 200 points and two rounds of ammo. Good luck, cowboy! GAME OPTIONS: The title screen provides a number of options. In addition to going straight into the game you can practice any one round, see the high score hall of fame, get some help, etc. Help: If you've read this far into the docs you probably don't need any more help, but these screens can be used as a quick reminder of what each round is. At each help screen you have the option of going on to the next screen, going back to the previous screen, or quitting help. Info: Some basic information on Shooting Gallery and how to register plus game credits. Option: This displays the option menu which includes several items: Show Scores: View the high scores hall of fame. The high scores are also shown at the end of each game. Click to exit the hall of fame. Enable (Disable) PC Speaker Sounds: This toggles sound effects played through the PC speaker on and off. This only affects the sound effects during game play. You cannot have both PC speaker sounds and SoundBlaster sounds enabled at the same time. Enable (Disable) SoundBlaster Sounds: This toggles sound effects played through your sound card on and off. This only affects the sound effects during game play. You cannot have both SoundBlaster sounds and PC speaker sounds enabled at the same time. Turn Music Off (On): This toggles music played through the PC speaker on and off. This only affects the music on the title screen and in Round 7. Clear High Scores: This option resets all the high scores in the hall of fame and individual rounds. You can also do this by deleting the high scores file "SHOOT.SCR". Turn Practice Limits Off (On): Turning limits off allows you to practice any round for as long as you wish without your ammo or time running out. Select Players: Use this function to select up to four people for a multi-player game. Click on the push buttons to select/deselect players. When you select a player by pushing a button in you must then enter the player's name. You can use backspace to correct errors if necessary and you must hit the Enter key when done. When this option is used each player will have a chance at each round before going on to the next one. Select Rounds: This function lets you select which of the available rounds you wish to play. Click on the push buttons next to the names of the rounds to select/deselect. Push the button in to select the round. Single Player: Undoes the Select Players function and returns to a normal single player game. Play All Rounds: Undoes the Select Rounds function and returns to games where you play all the rounds. Practice: This brings up a list of all the different rounds available. Point to the button next to the round you want to practice and then click. If you want to practice a round for an unlimited amount of time use the Turn Practice Limits Off setting under the Options menu. COMMAND LINE OPTIONS: There are several options when starting up the game. Some people play in an environment where quiet is necessary so it's possible to play with the sound off. Add a " -s" to the command line to turn all sounds off. You can also selectively control music and sound effects. Add " -m" to the command line to turn off music. Add " -e" to turn off sound effects. Also, on some systems the VGA card is not detected properly and early versions of Shooting Gallery failed to run. If you're sure your system supports MCGA or VGA graphics yet fails to run, use the " -v" (no video detection) option on the command line and Shooting Gallery will run without checking your video card type. NOTICE: If you don't have VGA on your system using this option will not make the game work. You must have VGA graphics on your system to use Shooting Gallery. One of the options lets you practice the rounds as long as you like--in other words, the timer and ammo limits are disabled. You can also set this option from the command line using the " -n" (no limits) option. Since command line options are confusing to some people, here are examples of how to use them. To turn the sound off, your command line should look like this: shoot -s To disable video card detection, your command line would look like this: shoot -v Finally, you can use several options at the same time. To play with the sound off and no limits on practice the command line would look like this: shoot -s -n ***************************************************************************** * REGISTRATION * ***************************************************************************** Please remember that Shooting Gallery is not free software. As with all Shareware you are expected to purchase it after you've given it a reasonable trial. The registration price for Shooting Gallery is $15 (#12.95 in the U.K.), for which you'll receive by return mail a copy of the latest version with the shareware reminders removed, the complete (large!) sound effects library for sound card users, and possibly another Shareware game to try out. A deluxe version of Shooting Gallery is also available. This includes a storage case and printed manual plus the registered version of the game. This version is available for $22. Please include $2 shipping/handling with your order, or $4 for deluxe versions or for shipping outside North America. All prices are in U.S. dollars. ***************************************************************************** * INCLUDED FILES * ***************************************************************************** The following files are included in Shooting Gallery: SHOOT.EXE The runnable program VGA256.BGI Video driver SHOOTLIB.GXL Sound effects library (registered version) SAMPLE.GXL Sound effects library (shareware version) *.PCC Background pictures *.PIC Target pictures SHOOT.DOC This file ORDERFRM.TXT Ready to print registration form UKORDER.TXT Registration form for U.K. users SHAREWRE.TXT Information on Shareware VENDOR.TXT Information for disk vendors, etc., on distributing Shooting Gallery SHOOT.TXT A brief description of the game and other software available from the same author CATALOG.EXE Runnable catalog of other Arcanum Computing products You are free to pass this program along to friends, give it to user groups, upload to BBSes, etc. with the understanding that anyone who continues to use the game is required to register it. All these files MUST be included when distributing this program. If you archive the program for distribution through BBSes, please use the name "SHOOTG31.ZIP" (or .LZH, .PAK, etc. as appropriate). ***************************************************************************** * DISCLAIMER OF WARRANTY * ***************************************************************************** This software is sold "as is", without any warranty as to performance or any other warranties whether expressed or implied. Because of the many hardware and software environments into which this program may be used, no warranty of fitness for a particular purpose is offered. The user must assume the entire risk of using the program. Any liability of the seller will be limited exclusively to product replacement or the refund of the registration fee. ***************************************************************************** * ASSOCIATION OF SHAREWARE PROFESSIONALS * ***************************************************************************** This software is produced by Nels Anderson who is a member of the Association of Shareware Professionals (ASP). ASP wants to make sure that the shareware principle works for you. If you are unable to resolve a shareware-related problem with an ASP member by contacting the member directly, ASP may be able to help. The ASP Ombudsman can help you resolve a dispute or problem with an ASP member, but does not provide technical support for members' products. Please write to the ASP Ombudsman at 545 Grover Road, Muskegon, MI 49442, USA or send a CompuServe message via email to ASP Ombudsman 70007,3536. FAX: 616-788-2765. _______ ____|__ | (R) --| | |------------------- | ____|__ | Association of | | |_| Shareware |__| o | Professionals -----| | |--------------------- |___|___| MEMBER ***************************************************************************** * AVAILABLE SOFTWARE * ***************************************************************************** Other software which I've either written or contributed to: EGATREK: Space strategy battle game, using hi-res graphics, based on the classic minicomputer game. Winner of Public Brand Software's 1988 software contest. MAHJONGG: Solitaire game played with Chinese tiles. Supports VGA, EGA and Hercules graphics; mouse optional. See reviews in December 1988 "PCWorld" and April 1989 "Compute!" magazines. TMATCH: Tile Match is another solitaire game that uses the same colorful tile sets originally created for Mah Jongg. It's based on concentration solitaire or "memory" but adds a wide variety of features. Play it solitaire, against the computer or with up to four players. CIPHER: A word puzzle game involving solving quotations that have been encrypted. Runs in EGA or VGA graphics mode with or without a mouse, or in text mode. Also available in a Windows version. SUPERFLY: An action game using hi-res EGA/VGA graphics. Chase the flies and other insects through twenty different rounds. Includes three levels of difficulty, hall of fame, shell to DOS, etc. See review in "PC Magazine" (10/15/91). MOUSTOOL: A collection of utilities for Turbo Pascal programmers wishing to incorporate mouse input in their programs. Sample programs included for both EGA and CGA graphics. Used in most of my games. BASSTOUR: (Written by Dick Olsen). Game that simulates a fishing tournament, including rod and lure selection. Runs in EGA/CGA/Hercules graphics modes. BASSMAP: Companion program for BassTour which allows lakes to be created or modified. - - - - - Shooting Gallery is copyright (c) 1994 by Nels Anderson. All rights reserved.