********************************************************************* * * * * * S L I D E S Q U A R E S * * * * By Stuart Taylor * * * * * ********************************************************************* Object of the game ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ The object of Slide Squares is very simple. The screen is mixed up and you must put it back together. Playing Slide Squares ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Slide Squares can be played one of two ways:- GAME 1 This is the normal way of playing the game. All the squares are on the screen at the same time. By using the joystick or Mouse, you can rearrange the squares. GAME 2 This game allows you to store the squares in a bank. The game starts with all the squares in the bank (A clear screen). Squares can be taken out of the bank or put in the bank at will, allowing you to work with certain squares. Moving a Square:- Place the cursor over the square you want to move and hold down fire. Press one of the four directions on the joystick and the square will slide in that direction. The will stop when it hits something. Taking a Square from the bank:- The bank is at the bottom right hand corner of the screen. When you have entered the bank, the cursor will disappear until you leave the bank. When in the bank, you can slide new squares out by holding down fire and hitting Left on the joystick. A new square will leave the bank and join the game. To leave the bank, simply push Left on the joystick. The cursor will reappear and the game will carry on. NOTE:-Time still ticks down while you are in the bank! Placing a Square in the bank:- On the bottom of the screen there is a hole into which squares can be slid. The position of the hole depends whether you are on easy or hard level. If you are on easy level, The hole is the middle square. If you are on hard level, the hole is the 5th square from the left. Ending the game ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ When you get all the squares in the right order, hit check and if you are right then you can enter your name onto the score board. Controls ~~~~~~~~ GAME 1 ALL option are available by clicking on the icons. The icons are:- 1. Quit 2. Move Option bar Up or Down. 3. Check Picture. Tells you how many squares are right. 4. Show finished picture. Reminds you of the finished picture. 5. Arrows. Allow you to play the game without joystick. GAME 2 All options found in game 1 are available in game 2 apart from Move option Bar. Unlike game 1, the option bar is not used. ALL options are via mouse. Left Button - Check Picture Right Button - Show picture Both Buttons - Quit ********************************************************************* * * * * * M A P M A K E R * * * * By Stuart Taylor * * * * * ********************************************************************* What is Map Maker ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Map Maker is a very simple program which allows you to save 2D Arrays as data files. I find this very useful for games. If your game holds each level in a 2D Array such as an "Alien Breed" Type game, each level can simply be loaded off disk and placed in the main Array. You don't need to refill the array with Data Statements. Using 2D Arrays ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Lets say you are creating a game that uses a 5 by 5 grid. Each position can be one of the following:- 1. A Space (0) 2. An Alien (1) 3. You (2) 4. A Wall (3) 5. An Object (4) You can then design a level:- Key - A=Alien Y=You O=Object *=Wall ***** *O A* ** ** * Y* ***** This can be written in the array as:- 33333 34013 33033 30023 33333 The Normal way of entering this into the array could be:- Dim FLOOR(5,5) For L=1 To 5 For L1=1 To 5 Read FLOOR(L,L1) Next L1 Next L Data 3,3,3,3,3 Data 3,4,0,1,3 Data 3,3,0,3,3 Data 3,0,0,2,3 Data 3,3,3,3,3 This method is fine for small Arrays, but a 20 by 20 Array takes up loads of room and it is a pain writing the Data lines. By using Map Maker, you can create a data file and then fill the array by entering the following lines:- Dim FLOOR(5,5) Open In 1,FILENAME$ Input #1,X Input #1,Y For L=1 To X For L1=1 To Y Input #1,A$ FLOOR(L,L1)=Val(A$) Next L1 Next L Close 1 It doesn't matter how big the array is, the amount you need to type in will not change. If you have any ideas on improvements, please contact me at the address below:- STUART TAYLOR 172 Rutland Rd West Bridgford Nottingham NG2 5DZ England