Nubb PC release 1.2 version 1.19b 93.06.30 by Benn Blincoe Laughing Fish HC 72 Box 27211 Benton, California 93512-9803 WARNING: This file, README.NOT, should NOT be read until you have at least tried the game. The game contains brief instructions, and the game is simple to learn, so give the game a try before you read this documentation. The details below are not necessary to play, but please leave them with the game when you give it to someone else. HARDWARE This version of Nubb is designed to work on ibm compatible machines with a CGA monitor. Other graphics cards, such as EGA and VGA, that can handle CGA should work fine. Laptops with black and white screens that support at least CGA will look good. (This program was written largely on a laptop.) Computer speed will have little effect on the playing speed of the game. Rodents are supported, but a mouse is not required (or recommended). GAME OBJECTIVES 1. Clear screen of pieces. 2. Clear screen of filled pieces. 3. Complete filled loops to clear part of loop. 4. Connect nubbs (end pieces) to filled pieces to clear pieces. MOVEMENT Several sets of keys can be used to play the game, so that you can take your pick, depending on whether you're left or right handed, or you're used to other games. You can even use a mouse, if you install it before playing the game. CLOCKWISE: left curser, A, J, 7, move mouse left COUNTERCLOCKWISE: right curser, D, L, 9, move mouse right DROP: space bar, Enter, + (plus), left mouse button UP MENU: up cursor, W, I, move mouse up DOWN MENU: down cursor, S, K, move mouse down Other Keys: Enter: accept menu choice Esc: resign game to start another F1: display instruction screen F2: display top scores F3: toggle whether next piece is displayed F4: toggle sound F5: toggle dangerous mode F9: quit game F1 or F2: pause game LEVELS You can choose from three starting levels: ells, tee, and nubb. The level gives you an indication on what pieces will be randomly selected. Each time you clear the screen of all pieces, you will progress to the next level. The levels are grouped into three sets. 1. Starting at the beginning, the ells, you will have the four elbows to work with, for four levels (pretty boring). Following the ell levels, you have two line levels. 2. Starting at tee, you will have four tee pieces in addition to the elbows and lines. After four tee levels you will also have a cross piece to deal with. 3. Starting at nubb, you will have all the possible pieces to work with, including the four nubbs, or ends. After the nubb levels, the starting piece will start again at the ells, but you will continue to have all the 15 different pieces coming at you until you die. SPEEDS You can choose from three starting speeds: slow, medium, and fast. The slow speed gives you about 30 seconds to drop each piece, which is entirely too much time to be challenging, but is good to get the hang of the game. The medium speed is actually on the slow side, giving you 10 seconds to drop each piece, which is plenty once you get the used to the game. The fast speed (5 seconds to drop) keeps your attention, but should be no problem for experi- enced players. The game increases in speed every eighty pieces that you drop. The step up in speed does not start until 160 pieces on the medium speed, and not until 320 pieces on the fast starting speed. The background pattern behind the next piece will change each time the speed increases. The speed stops increasing at the eighth speed level (3.75 seconds to drop). PLAYING Move the current piece around the perimeter of the board and drop it against another piece to place it. If the piece is dropped, and there are no pieces to stop it, it will fall to the other side of the perimeter. The current piece must be dropped before the next piece reaches the board, or the current will be dropped automatically. Automatically dropped pieces will fall until they hit another piece or hit the far edge of the board. If a piece is blocked from falling automatically, the game is lost. As a safety feature, the game will enter the pause mode after a forced fall. Drop pieces so that they connect. When pieces connect, and at least one of the pieces is filled, all the connected pieces will fill. LOOPS The object of the game is to fill and clear loops and nubbs. When you complete a filled loop, it will break and clear itself. Please note that loops do not necessarily break at the longest section of the loop, but the break- point is predictable. Filled nubbs will clear themselves when connected to another piece. When you fill more than one loop at a time, only one loop will clear each drop. CLEAR FILLING When you clear the board of all filled pieces, any unfilled piece on the edge of the board will be examined, and any arms that extend to the edge will be amputated. If a nubb is amputated, it will be cleared. SOUND This version has no sound, except when you press F4. PAUSING The game can be paused by pressing F1 while the game is playing. Press the space bar to continue. The game pauses automatically after a forced fall. To turn off this feature, press F5. Press F5 again to return to the safety pause. LOSING While there are several ways that the program will detect that you have lost the game, there are more ways that you will be in a situation that you're dead and you will need to resign (press Esc) to get out of the game and record your top score. Pressing F9 will cause you to exit the program completely, without giving you a chance to record your score or try again. The program will detect when you've extended the filled pieces to the edge of the board, causing the end of the game. TOP SCORES If you get a top ten score, you can add your name to the top list. If a top score file (NUBBTOP.SCO) is not in the current directory, a new file will be created. VERSION HISTORY Nubb 1.19 is the first release. Nubb 1.19.1 is a bug fix. Game no longer crashes at scores over 32K, cursor no longer disappears after quitting. Nubb 1.19b corrects the address where you should send your $5 shareware fee. SO YOU GOT THIS FAR... Nubb is a shareware program. If you like and use this program, please send five bucks. If you don't like it, let me know why and I will try to fix it. If you are anywhere in between, send me a hometown postcard. Noncommercial distribution of this shareware program is encouraged. When you pass on this program, include this documentation, and make no changes to the program or documentation. Check GEnie or America Online for the most current version. Last, but not least, I wish to thank Alexy Pazhitnov for inspirating me to write this game.