Scrotax II - Two Years in the Making! ===================================== A simple, but original idea for a shoot-em-up. Fully Public Domain (ie not a useless shortened version), needs no funny extras and is certainly not SEUCK. Has lots of hidden features and interesting quirks and is unlike anything I have seen before. Although it's not exactly a programming or graphical breakthrough, it is fun (I hope). Should work on just about any Amiga, although at least 1 meg is needed (possibly a little more). Works no problem on an unexpanded A1200. Contains full AmigaGuide documentation, needs no installing (other than dragging icons) and, well, download it. Please. @@@@@ @@@@@@ @@@@@@ @@@@@@ @@@@@@@ @@@@@@ @@@ @@@ @@@@@@@@@ @@@@@@ @@@@@@ @@@@@@@ @@@@@@@@ @@@@@@@ @@@@@@@@ @@@ @@@ @@@@@@@@@ @@@ @@@ @@@ @@@ @@@ @@@ @@@ @@@ @@@ @@@ @@@ @@@ @@@ @@@@@ @@@ @@@ @@@ @@@ @@@ @@@ @@@ @@@ @@@@@ @@@ @@@ @@@@@ @@@ @@@@@@@ @@@ @@@ @@@ @@@@@@@@ @@@@@ @@@ @@@ @@@ @@@ @@@ @@@ @@@ @@@ @@@ @@@ @@@ @@@ @@@ @@@ @@@ @@@@@@ @@@@@@ @@@ @@@ @@@@@@@@ @@@ @@@ @@@ @@@ @@@ @@@@@@@@@ @@@@@ @@@@@@ @@@ @@@ @@@@@@ @@@ @@@ @@@ @@@ @@@ @@@@@@@@@ Introduction Starting/Installing Scrotax Playing the Game The Vast Array of Options Historical Scrotax Credits Things you Should Know! Programs that I've written. Ography SCROTAX II ========== Version 2.00 By Semprini Tea Spoon Ventriloquist First Release : 28/08/95 THE POINTLESS AMIGAGUIDE Living proof that decent ASCII logos can't be done in AmigaGuide email : semprini@enterprise.net Introduction ============ Two years ago, a legend was born! And then there was Scrotax! Possibly the first game written by me that wasn't Pong! (Possibly still the only game written by me that isn't Pong). It had something not seen very often in the history of the universe - originality! It was s***e, but it was original *h*t*, so that was OK then. The graphics were crude, the animation poor, the gameplay addictive, but dodgy! And now it's Scrotax 2... Scrotax 2 is a complete re-write of Scrotax. The code is almost 100% new - particularly the main game routine has been transformed from dodgy AMAL routines to possibly even more dodgy slightly hand-made routines, but with added flexibility and more structure! This means that updating things is much easier, but it also means I can do things that I couldn't do before such as add new power-ups, new enemy craft and, most importantly, re-write that really suspicious bonus game after level 5! The other reason I have started again is this nagging feeling that it may prove not to be as much fun as the original Scrotax. The graphics and sound have been improved a little, the game now lasts a fair bit longer (so is possibly a little more accessible and less frustrating), there will be more hidden bits and bonus games plus lots of interesting things, but I'm not sure if the thing that made Scrotax so "not terrible" was the fact that some games would last from about 2 seconds up to about 3 minutes (maximum!!) so that it became very addictive with always time for one last go! It was quite difficult and quirky, but it could become difficult to stop playing... However, this one transforms Scrotax into the mainstream a little more. It needed to be written if it was going to run at roughly the same speed on every machine (although perhaps a little jerky and crap on slower ones). Before you had to use the even dodgier slow-down routine! Incidentally, it is being tested on a standard A1200 with no fancy bits (except hard drive), so anything equal or better than that will have absolutely no problems! Anyway, here it is! Click here for a list of new features! Anyway, enjoy hours of guilt-free playing (as it is not Shareware, Giftware, Rubberware, Ghandiware or anything... it is, in fact, Share-Your-Ware, a new concept in sharing your... erm... ware...) What is Share-Your-Ware? It sounds crap! Installation ============ Scrotax comes with two files: SCROTAX2 : The game SCROTAX2.GUIDE : This guide DEFAULT.DATA : A data file the game runs without but is better if it's there! S/STARTUP-SEQUENCE : Only needed for disk users! If you distribute the game, it is vital that you include BOTH files with it otherwise you are infringing copyright (probably...) When it loads it will create a data file SCROTAX2.DATA containing the high scores and everything. Floppy Installation =================== 1. Format a disk, naming it DES 2. Copy all files mentioned above into it (ensuring STARTUP-SEQUENCE) is in directory S. 3. Go to a CLI prompt and type INSTALL DF0: Please note that this presumes that the file INSTALL is present (it is not included here, but is on every Workbench disk ever). It also presumes the disk is in DF0: You don't need INSTALL on your disk, just to be able to run it! 4. Insert disk into the internal drive and reset the computer! The game will now load! (I hope...) Hard Drive Installation ======================= 1. Copy the entire SCROTAX directory anywhere on your hard drive (along with all the files present inside) 2. Delete S/STARTUP-SEQUENCE (unless you want it, it makes no difference) 3. Double click on the SCROTAX2 icon. 4. Mind you, you've probably done this if you're reading this guide. Please note that the program looks for an assign called DES: and, if it is not found, it will assign it to the currently open window (in workbench) or just the current directory (if in CLI). Therefore, you will know why you have an extra assign at the end of it. Also, if you run it, then move it to a different directory, it will not re-assign it, so it will keep saving all data into the old directory! Basically, if you move the program, you should type this into CLI first: ASSIGN DES: REMOVE Running It ========== Simply double click it's icon! Bit obvious really. Alternatively, enter SCROTAX2 at the CLI prompt. Now, sit back and enjoy the hugely entertaining, technically amazing (plrth!) introduction sequence! Or press FIRE to skip it. You will then be brought to the Main Menu Hoorah! Scrotax II Main Menu ==================== Very simple. Use the joystick up/down and fire. Select PLAY SCROTAX to Play Scrotax Select HIDDEN OPTIONS for an Options Menu (the term "hidden" arose from Scrotax v1) Select EXIT GAME to exit the game via a requester asking you whether you want to save and quit, just quit or not quit at all. Alternatively... don't touch that joystick and wait for lots of interesting bits! Extra Keys ========== You will see all these things if you just wait also! SPACE ... brings up the high score table DEL ..... brings up some information HELP .... brings up the credits information text 1 ....... Know Your Aliens (a brief explanatory demo) SCROTAX II ========== Not difficult. Go left, go right. And shoot. You can shoot, don't forget. Firstly, something IMPORTANT!! Read the WEIRD BITS/BONUS GAMES (button at the bottom of this text bit). If you don't something ODD may happen and you will panic and not know what to do. And panic. OK, well... you control a red ball that constantly bounces up and down. This is not just any red ball, however, because you can shoot. Not only that but you are Earth's last defence against the triangular nondescript aliens and the traditionally green wibbly ones. Well, to be quite honest, they aren't REALLY trying to take over the world, they're just trying to get from the right hand side of the screen to the left hand side of the screen without you shooting them. Every time they fly past you get a SURVIVAL POINT (ie one point), every time you shoot them you get MORE THAN ONE POINT! However, if you shoot more than one with the same bullet you get a BONUS as well! TWO AT ONCE : Shoot two aliens in the same shot to get a 20 point bonus THREE : 40 points FOUR : 80 points FIVE or MORE : 100 points Getting these bonusses causes a small block with the amount of points its worth on it. Collecting the block gets the points! After a while the level will end, and you will get a 100 point bonus (if you can collect it!). You might also receive some other bonusses here depending on your performance. I will leave these for you to discover, except one! The pacifist bonus! If you do not shoot for an entire level you will get a HUGE bonus (the higher the level, the higher the bonus). Mind you, not shooting does make things a little TRICKY! So, what else? Well, different enemies have different attack patterns and are worth various amounts of points. Different levels either introduce new alien forms, new aliens (ie more at once) or makes them faster! The last level is just a continuous barrage of aliens at the fastest, hardest speed until you die. Ha ha. So, if the game goes on forever, what is the point? Well, the point is to get a huge score and go top of the high score table! Also note that there are lots of hidden bits, so the more you play, the more you discover! Try varying your tactics or playing pathetically and see what happens! Also note that there are various bonus games that occur occasionally for various reasons. Also, there are some WEIRD BITS - ie unusual levels! At the end of the level, you are presented with some statistics relating to your performance (unless you've turned them OFF!) How to Recognise the Enemy Info about Power-Ups Info about BONUS GAMES / WEIRD BITS Info about Statistics In-Game Keys Entering Your Name On the High Score Table IDENTIFYING THE SCUM OF THE EARTH ================================= NUMBER 1 (10 Points) ======== He's triangular, he's blue, he's a bit of a bugger, he's the blue triangle! He can be found on every level, and just moves in an ordinary manner. NUMBER 2 (10 Points) ======== It's yellow, it's a number two, it's the yellow number two! There's only one yellow alien, and it's like, hey! wow! a space ship! Great news! Well, anyway, it's just the same as the blue triangle but provides a bit of graphical variation. What do you want from me anyway? Blood!? Anyway, it comes on from level 2 onwards. NUMBER 3 (12 Points) ======== It's green, it looks like it's come from your nose, it's the slimey green alien! This ones goes up and down a bit as well as just right to left! You'll get this one from level... erm... 4 or something... NUMBER 4 (14 Points) ======== It's big, it's blue, it's number 4! It's the big blue ship that doesn't come on until level... oh, I don't know! Quite late on anyway. About level 10 at least. Anyway, it goes up and down but a bit quicker than number 3. NUMBER 5 ======== OK, there isn't a number five. OK, there isn't one with a hugely spectacular flight pattern, but hey, what do you want from me? Severed limbs?! Anyway, I don't want to over-complicate the game. The first Scrotax had just one type of craft (available in five different colours). This one has 4, all differently animated (but all roughly the same except number 3) and just as unoriginal ones. EVERYTHING ELSE IS GOOD AND SHOULD BE COLLECTED!! IN-GAME KEYS ============ P ............ Pause the Game ESC .......... Exit the Game Left Amiga+A.. Flip to/from Workbench Ctrl+C........ Quit immediately without being asked Hmmm.. hardly worth having an entire node just for this, is it? HIGH SCORE TABLE ================ To enter your name on the high score table, just select the letter with the joystick and press FIRE, alternatively, just type in the letter on the keyboard. Go to < to delete a letter and END to... finish. If you finish without entering any name, it will make a wild guess at what name it thinks you may want to have entered. OPTIONS ======= Selecting many of these options will bring up a new menu or some information. BOUNCE SPEED ============ From here, you can select how fast you bounce up/down, although I'm not sure why you'd want to! <- BONUS EDITOR =============== From here you can turn on/off various bonusses. Some may annoy you, so you might want to get rid of them once you've seen them once. In fact, some have been added just to annoy you. INVINCIBALL, ROLLIBALL and JUMPY BIT are the Bonus Games HYSTERICAL has not been written yet (sorry!) - but is coming soon! SCORES are the bonusses triggered by specific scores. USELESS is the bonus for when you do really badly in the game (although, this will be improved sometime in the future) <- HIGH SCORES ============== From here you can LOAD the currently saved high scores, SAVE them (ie same as SAVE on the proper Options menu) or CLEAR them. You can also LOAD FROM a different file or SAVE TO a different file. STATISTICS ========== After each game a set of statistics relating to your performance is displayed (unless you HIDE them from this menu!) START LEVEL =========== Not much reason why you'd want to change the starting level, but if you do, here's how to do it! ENTER CODE ========== Only for people who know codes to enter, really. And I'm not telling you any. Oh, alright then, just a couple - but no good ones! Try PHWOAR to look at the graphics and TRANSMISSION to hear all the samples. I'm not telling you any others. Cos they're cheating ones. SAVE ==== Saves the current setup and the high scores to the default file. PREVIOUS MENU ============= Goes to the previous menu. Ie the main menu. Updates Since Version 1.17 ========================== Version 2.00 (As much as I can remember) * Completely Recoded! * Traditional Lives and Levels structure to make games last longer * Statistics and related bonusses added * Status Panel with level/lives/power-ups displayed * Graphics (particularly animation) greatly improved! (believe it or not) * Presentation changed to more traditional, less AMOSsy format * New Enemy ships added with their own characteristics * More Power-Ups added - including multiple bullets (ie 2) and bullet swerve! Also three grades of speed-up! * More Bonusses * Invinciball bonus game * Rolliball bonus game * Disorientating new levels - ie Bounces Off and Reverse Gravity. * More enemies on-screen at the same time (utter maximum of 5, although you'll have to be good to get that many!) * Fantastic introduction sequence * A Secret Game! * Change bounce speed Scrotax II ========== Written by Semprini using Amos Professional Graphics by Semprini using Deluxe Paint 4 Photos Scanned by Clara Tiny Hank also by Clara Samples arranged by Semprini (found in various places) Some Ideas by Matt (and a couple by Reshad) Cover Stars: Hank and Wendy Thanks to Clara for putting up with me! Thanks also to Ben Wyatt (and everyone else on the Amos mailing list for so much help) (without which I would never have been able to finish this!) Fonts Used ========== InkWell Ultra-Bodini ChiselScript Samples Taken From ================== CYBERPUNK DEMO (Sorry, it's really old and I've deleted it now, but this sample remains. Unfortunately I don't know who to credit it to!) THE INTERNET (Various Places) MATT (Right!) PARADROID II (I think it's just the metal smack bit!) JAZZYLOOP No idea where this has come from, I just found it - sorry! Share-Your-Ware =============== Scrotax 2 is "Share-Your-Ware" a brand new concept by me. Basically, if you like this, you will fall into one of two categories: 1) SOMEONE WHO HAS WRITTEN SOME SHAREWARE As an appreciative gift, you should email me the registered version of your program. I am poor, but I am not asking for any money. At the same time I cannot afford to spend money on computer programs, so all donations are gratefully received! After all, I've got a mortgage... Incidentally, please note that, as well as not paying for Shareware, I do not use Shareware programs after the evaluation period (if applicable) nor do I get the benefits of the full, nicer program. So, it's not just me being a b!!!!!d, I do lose out too! People try to make out that if you don't pay for Shareware, the end of the Amiga is nigh, but I think what separates the Amiga from the PC is that, at the end of the day, money isn't important. It's a fun machine and not just a commercialist piece of crap that everyone use and Micros*ft exploit. Thanks. 2) EVERYONE ELSE IN THE ENTIRE WORLD If you have written anything interesting that's not on Aminet, please send me that. But, whatever the case, please send me a message with COMMENTS and if you like it, please say so. I haven't got a very big ego, but I would quite like one (donations welcome). Sending me vast quantities of cash, gifts or anything else is not necessary! So, enjoy the game and don't feel guilty! However, if you DO want to send me some money, gifts, cigarettes and/or alcohol, then please feel free. ** PLEASE NOTE Please note that this game has not been tested on anything other than a standard 2mb A1200. Please mail me if you have tried to run this on anything else (preferably anything slower and/or with less memory). Is it jerky and crap on an A500/600? Does it work on a 1mb compy? I'd like to know, please! email: semprini@enterprise.net THINGS I'M NOT GOING TO ADD (so don't ask me to) =========================== * A parallex starfield. Yeah, this would be good, but tough. Never been good at them and it'd slow it down written in Amos. * The joke parallex starfield from Scrotax v1.1. Yeah, this was brilliant and hysterical (download Scrotax1.17 if you don't believe me) but I just can't be bothered. Using enough bobs as it is thanks. * Wigs. No, the characters cannot wear wigs. Not even the ball, even if he is bald. UPDATES COMING SOON (when/if I can be a!!ed) =================== * The Hysterical Bonus! * A Real crapness bonus * A really crap two player mode like in Scrotax 1. I don't know whether I can be bothered, it wasn't very good. * Keyboard mode (I intended to have this like in Scrotax 1, but just couldn't be bothered) * Level Editor. Not a brilliant one, just plain simple storing the few basics of each level. * More Short demos (ie telling you how to play the game) * When you die, if you get an After-Life bonus, it looks like the bonus kills you. I really must fix this one. Power-Ups! ========== Power-ups come in TWO forms - either SPEED-UP power-ups or WEAPON UPGRADES! Power-ups appear at set times during set levels and will take one of two forms. Shooting the power-up toggles it between SPEED-UP and WEAPON! If you've got all the power-ups then you get a score bonus instead. Please note, the ASCII drawings are crap, so if they don't look much like the graphics, don't worry - just work it out for yourself! The YELLOW one \\ : Speed-Up O The BLUE one O/\ : Weapon-Upgrade o|| LIGHT BLUE | : Score Bonus . When you collect a power-up, it appears at the top of your status panel, depending on what you have got! The left three squares are for the speed-ups and relate to speed up stages 1, 2 and 3 (each one faster than the previous). The rest are either weapon upgades or unused! Each time you pick one up, you get something new, in the following order: SILLY BULLETS O : Bigger bullets - easier to hit things! o TWO BULLETS /-\ : Gives you 2 bullets instead of one! \-/ SWERVE v1 _| : (picture of a joystick) /_| Lets you move the bullets UP and DOWN using the joystick to swerve up/down to catch more enemies! SWERVE v2 `.`_| : Similar to above, but the swerve is more effective! /_| BONUS ===== For various reasons (for you to discover) you may be presented with a bonus game or a weird level! These take several forms: 1) JUMPY THING - SCROTAX v1.1's BONUS GAME LIVES! | | 2 | | 1 - You (the ball) 1 | | | | | 3 2 - Walls to avoid () | | | .O. 3 - Huge Bonuses! ----|-------|-------|---oOo----- (unintentially phallic, just bad ASCII) Guide your ball at 1 over the first wall, under the second, over the third and under the fourth in a bid to win buried treasure (well bonusses and things anyway). Do all this in a time limit or not at all. 2) REVERSE GRAVITY --------------------------------------- /\ || \/ /|< _ \|< (_) /|< \|< --------------------------------------- Not quite necessary having a diagram for this one really, but basically all that happens is for a level you're bouncing on the ceiling instead of the floor! Just to disorientate you really. Ho ho. 3) BOUNCES OFF --------------------------------------- /\ /|< || \|< \/ _ (_) /\ || /|< \/ \|< -------------------------------------- Again, the diagram is a little redundant. Basically, what this means is that you can move UP and DOWN with the joystick (instead of bouncing). It also means the aliens have got a larger area to roam. It still makes it quite easy, so this is a bit of a bonus round really! 4) ROLLIBALL -------------------------------------- ---- 1 __ -------2 __ 1 : 10 Point Bonus |10| / \ |BONUS| / \ 2 : Random 0-20 Point Bonous ---- _ \__/3 ------- \ / 3 : Nasty Big Rock / \ \/4 4 : Nasty Pointy Thing \_/5 5 : Nasty Small Rock _ (_)6 6 : You! --------------------------------------- This poor diagram illustrates another bonus level. Barred from shooting, you can simply roll left and right along the screen dodging and collecting the bonusses that fall. You lose if you get hit by the blue things that drop from the ceiling (the nasty big, small and pointy rocks). You get points for collecting the small 10 point bonusses and the red blocks with BONUS written on them (as above). 5) INVINCIBALL I can't be buggered to describe this one. Again, firing is disabled because for this brief bonus game you must BARGE your way through the enemies! You score usual points for each one killed, but a nice bonus if you get the lot of them! Remember, when it stops you die if you touch the enemy!! 6) SCORE BONUSSES Certain special scores trigger SCORE bonusses! These are just (seemingly) random objects flying across the screen. Pick them up for points! 7) COMING SOON The HYSTERICAL BONUS from Scrotax Version 1! And... THE CRAP BONUS - from Scrotax Version 1! 8) SECRETS! Well, if you can find the secret game, you'll be disappointed because it's very crap. WHAT THE STATISTICS MEAN ======================== LEVEL : The level you got to. OBVIOUSLY! ALIENS : How many aliens appeared in your game (not including Invinciball) SHOTS : How many shots you fired HITS : How many aliens you killed ACCURACY: How accurate your shots were in relation to number of kills SUCCESS : How many aliens you killed as a percentage of how many there were in total SCORE : Your score About Semprini ============== I am 20 years old and am living in sin on the Isle of Man, a boring little island somewhere vaguely between England and Ireland. Although I neither like Star Trek nor try-hard music, I do own and use computers. I have been programming in Amos for ooh about 4 or 5 years now probably, although you wouldn't have guessed it from this, would you? I am actually more interested in writing and am hoping to get my first novel published in the next couple of years (although this requires me to suddenly develop a talent for writing, so perhaps not). Right, well, I do not know what to say now, so I will tell you a few crap things in, like, well, a list... TAKE THAT, BOYZONE and all the rest of them (they are all the same) THE ISLE OF MAN OKELL'S ALES (in particular their disgusting and rather offensive bitter) Well, that's enough of that. Well, just to be current, the song of the year so far is, without a doubt, Alright by Supergrass although Find the Answer Within by the Boo Radleys is rather good as well. Having said that, there has been a lot of good music this year, one of the reasons I am so desperate to return to England, my home country which I left about a year and a half ago. I just hope I can afford to pay the airfare and the extravagent entrance fee for Glastonbury next year. Well, you can tell that I am both home sick and incredibly bored (and rather unwilling to continue writing anything to Scrotax just at this second). Incidentally, ignore anyone who says smoking and drinking is bad for you. Firstly, being suicidally bored is bad for you and secondly, if you ever see a wasp (quite likely I suppose) and you haven't got a fag (English slang for a ciggy), if you make a move or if you are living with someone named Clara, you will probably get stung. Ouch. Well, if you are smoking, you can save yourself huge amounts of pain. Wasps don't like smoke or heat. So they s*d off! Hurrah! HELLO ===== Actually, this is the first program I have ever released! You'd never guess, huh? Apart from this, I have written about 10,000 versions of Pong (because it's so easy and I honestly could not think of anything else). The only other thing I've written that's been decent is SEMPAINT 2 which is an Amos Professional accessory that allows you to edit Packed Picture memory banks very quickly and easily. It's got loads of options including the ability to use your own programmable routines! It's not perfect, but it's not useless, and the presentation is (I think) quite good. Let me know if you'd like a copy (providing you email me something too!) Hoho... Also available is a NAME EDITOR for use with this very program! It allows you to edit those happy, fun filled names that appear on the high score table if you leave the name blank. Again, if you'd like this (!!) then please let me know. Index ===== About the Author Accuracy Statistic After Touch Aliens Alien Statistic Bounces Off Bugs Credits Enemies Entering Your Name Exclamation Mark Game - Playing it! High Score Table History of Scrotax How to Play Ideas Identifying the Enemy Installation Introduction Invinciball Jumpy Game Keys (Ingame) Know the Enemy Main Menu Menu - Options Ography Options Menu Playing the Game Power-Ups Programs I have Written Reverse Gravity Rolliball Semprini Scrotax - Playing it Share-Your-Ware Shots Statistic Silly Bullets Speed-Up Starting Scrotax Statistics Success Statistic Swerving Bullets Things you should know Updates to Scrotax Weapons Help ==== The best way to get help is to phone the Samaritans. Alternatively, send an email to semprini@enterprise.net. Why is it that no AmigaGuides have their own help text? Apart from this one, of course. Hey-Ho ====== Well, hello there. It's nice of you to have got this far in what must be a very tedious AmigaGuide document. Well, it looks like we've made it, looks like we've made it to the end... So, go play the game! Please do let me know if you like it, even if you don't want to share any of your programs with me. I just want to know what people think of it. Anyway, that's enough from me. Bye bye... Microsoft ========= Hey, let's hope Microsoft haven't put any back doors in Windows NT, eh?