131 lines
6.2 KiB
Plaintext
131 lines
6.2 KiB
Plaintext
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*--------------------------------*
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! THE SNAPPER !
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* *
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! PRESENTED BY BETS C. !
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* *
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*--------------------------------*
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The game begins by asking you a series of questions; if you make a
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mistake, press 'ESC' to start over. When you select a 2 player game
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you can choose a different skill level for each player.
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J = Joystick
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K = Keyboard
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The joystick has 8 different directions. The four diagonal directions
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cause the Snapper to alternate left and right turns. If the joystick
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position is near the center, then the Snapper will continue in the
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same direction. While the joystick control is rather unusual and takes
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some getting used to, it also provides for quick and sure response for
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the advanced player, and was chosen with that in mind.
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With the keyboard, there are 4 directions.
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N = Up
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M = Down
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, = Left
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The Snapper will not change direction if the key is just held down
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(unless holding repeat too)...it will continue in the same direction
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till the next key press.
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When you start playing the game, you'll see a gridwork of lines with
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scoring and status information above it. You control the Snapper,
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directing it about the grid; the Snapper starts in the exact center of
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the grid. In addition, you will see 4 bases, a number of blots in 2
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different colors, 2 whirlers which start near the top corners of the
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grid, and a Gamma-Field which starts in the lower center below the
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Snapper. The whirlers and the Gamma-Field move about and are
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controlled by the Apple; the whirlers move on the grid lines (like the
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Snapper) and the Gamma-Field moves at random over the display. The
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bases stay fixed, and the Blots also stay fixed until eaten by the
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Snapper.a
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The scoring and status area above the grid displays on-going
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information about the game. The top line indicates the total score for
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each player, the number of shields available (yellow X's) and the
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number of lives left (Snapper symbols). The next two lines are
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organized into 3 boxes. The center box gives you the amount of time
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left in this round; you'll lose your Snapper if time runs out. (The
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normal game sounds will change at 10 and 5 counts left, as an audible
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warning that time is running out.) The left-hand box shows the current
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values for each of the two colors of blots; each time that you eat a
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blot, these values will increase. The right box gives the accumulated
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round score, plus the player's current score multiplier. You don't get
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the round score added to your total score until you touch one of the 4
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bases. An extra line below the 3 boxes is used to send messages to the
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player.
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You score points by guiding the Snapper to eat blots which are
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scattered about the grid. You don't actually get the points for eating
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the blots, however, until you touch one of the 4 bases. Since the
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blots increase in value for each blot eaten, but are restored to their
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original values when the round ends (when you touch base or die),
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you're encouraged to get as many blots as you can before touching
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base. Also, as the game progresses, you'll find that you must get a
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minimum number of blots in the round before you are permitted to touch
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base. (This is indicated in the 'special message' section of the score
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area.)
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Your Snapper is killed if you run out of time or if it touches either
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a Whirler or Gamma-Field. You have a limited number of shields
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available; a shield is activated by either pressing down (not holding
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down) the first joystick button or if using the keyboard by either
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pressing the shift key while pressing one of the direction keys or by
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pressing '/'. You'll get one shield for each new round, up to a
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maximum of 3. The shield is on when the Snapper is yellow. It will
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protect you from the whirler, but not from the Gamma-Field (which must
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simply be avoided). The shield can also be used to prevent you from
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actually touching base, should you desire not to do so, but can't
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avoid going over it.
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At the outset, the grid lines show in purple. However, as you progress
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to higher rounds, more and more of these lines will turn blue-green in
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color. Such lines are slicks; whenever the Snapper turns onto a
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slick, it will move twice as fast as usual. However, the Snapper can't
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turn off the slick until it reaches the end of that slick. When the
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Snapper reaches the end of the slick it may immediately turn back onto
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the same slick by reversing direction; if this is done, the Snapper
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will continue at double speed, but it may now turn off onto any
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available path along the way. At the uppermost rounds available in the
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game, every path is a slick.
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The Whirlers travel along the grid lines (and aren't affected by the
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slicks) in addition, they occasionally remove grid lines, preventing
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the Snapper from going over such removed lines. These lines are
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restored at the next round if the Snapper is killed, or if you get a
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ring.
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After every 10 blots or so that you get, you will have a chance to get
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a ring. The ring appears in the center of the grid, and is signalled
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by an extra audible tone. The ring only stays up for a fixed amount of
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time and will flash when it starts to disappear. You'll want to get
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the ring whenever possible because your score multiplier will be
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increased by one (to a maximum of 40) and the new multiplier affects
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the entire value of the round score added to your total score, the
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grid lines that have been removed will be restored, and after every
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fifth ring you get an extra life. You may have up to 12 total lives as
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a result of extra lives, but only 6 lives (your Snapper on the grid
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plus 5 more next to your score) will be shown.
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When 2 players play, they share the keyboard or joystick in turn. If
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you end your round by touching base, it will remain your turn for
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another round. If your Snapper is killed, however, then it becomes the
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other player's turn, unless he has no more lives.
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You may restart the game at any time by pressing 'ESC'; when the game
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ends press 'ESC' to restart, the game won't restart itself.
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