369 lines
18 KiB
HTML
Executable File
369 lines
18 KiB
HTML
Executable File
<!DOCTYPE HTML PUBLIC "-//W3C//DTD HTML 3.2 Final//EN">
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<HTML>
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<HEAD>
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<TITLE></TITLE>
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<META NAME="Generator" CONTENT="TextPad 4.0">
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<META NAME="Author" CONTENT="?">
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<META NAME="Keywords" CONTENT="?">
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<META NAME="Description" CONTENT="?">
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<STYLE>
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a {color: #499FFF; text-decoration: none; font-family: helvetica;}
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a:hover {color: #499FFF; text-decoration: underline}
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body {color: #FFFFFF; background: #000000; font: 10pt helvetica;}
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table {color: #FFFFFF; font: 10pt helvetica;}
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td {color: #FFFFFF;}
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</STYLE>
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</HEAD>
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<BODY BGCOLOR="#FFFFFF" TEXT="#000000" LINK="#FF0000" VLINK="#800000" ALINK="#FF00FF">
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<CENTER>
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<IMG SRC="sflogo.gif">
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<H3>Gameplay Manual</H3>
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</CENTER>
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<P></P>
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<TABLE BGCOLOR="#000099" WIDTH="100%"><TR><TD><B>License Agreement</B></TR></TR></TABLE>
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<P>Project: Starfighter<BR>
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Copyright Parallel Realities 2003<BR>
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All Rights Reserved
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</P>
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<P>
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This program is free software; you can redistribute it and/or<BR>
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modify it under the terms of the GNU General Public License<BR>
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as published by the Free Software Foundation; either version 2<BR>
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of the License, or (at your option) any later version.<BR>
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</P>
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<P>
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This program is distributed in the hope that it will be useful,<BR>
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but WITHOUT ANY WARRANTY; without even the implied warranty of<BR>
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MERCHANTABILITY or FITNESS FOR A PARTICULAR PURPOSE.<BR>
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</P>
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<P>
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See the GNU General Public License for more details.<BR>
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</P>
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<P>
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You should have received a copy of the GNU General Public License<BR>
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along with this program; if not, write to the Free Software<BR>
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Foundation, Inc., 59 Temple Place - Suite 330, Boston, MA 02111-1307, USA.<BR>
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</P>
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<TABLE BGCOLOR="#000099" WIDTH="100%"><TR><TD><B>Introduction</B></TR></TR></TABLE>
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<P>
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Project: Starfighter is an old school 2D shoot 'em up. In the game you take on the role of a
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rebel pilot called Chris, who is attempting to overthrow a military corporation called Weapco. Weapco
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has seized control of the known universe and currently rules it with an iron fist. Chris can no longer
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stand back and watch as millions of people suffer and die. He steals an experimental craft known
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as "Firefly" and begins his mission to fight his way to Sol, freeing key systems along the way. The
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game opens with Chris attempting to escape a Weapco patrol that has intercepted him.
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</P>
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<P>
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<TABLE BGCOLOR="#000099" WIDTH="100%"><TR><TD><B>Installation</B></TD></TR></TABLE>
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<P>Binary files are provided for both Windows and Linux*.</P>
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<P>Installation under Windows</P>
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<P>
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Unzip the archive into a suitable directory and then double click the Starfighter.exe
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file to begin. Games and settings will be saved into this directory.
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</P>
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<P>Installation under Linux</P>
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<PRE>
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tar zxf starfighter.tar.gz
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cd Starfighter
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make
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make install
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</PRE>
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<P>When the game is first run it will attempt to create</P>
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<PRE>
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~/.parallelrealities/starfighter/
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</PRE>
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<P>Should this fail the game will not run.</P>
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<P><I>* x86 binary compiled with g++ on Mandrake 9. Source and makefile are provided for Linux users
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who need to recompile</I></P>
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<P>
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<TABLE BGCOLOR="#000099" WIDTH="100%"><TR><TD><B>Controls</B></TD></TR></TABLE>
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<P>Menus</P>
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<UL>
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Arrow Keys - Highlight option<BR>
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Left Control / Space - Select menu option<BR>
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</UL>
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<P>Intermission Screen</P>
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<UL>
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Mouse - Move cursor<BR>
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Left Mouse Button - Selected option<BR>
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Right Mouse Button - Toggle planet orbit On / Off<BR>
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</UL>
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<P>In Game</P>
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<UL>
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Arrow Keys - Control Firefly<BR>
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Left Ctrl - Fire primary weapon<BR>
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Space - Fire secondary weapon<BR>
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Shift - Toggle Primary Weapon Concentrate / Spread (see Weaponry)<BR>
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T - Targetting Arrow On /Off<BR>
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P - Pause / Unpause<BR>
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Escape - Flee (not possible until all primary missions completed)<BR>
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Escape whilst paused - Quit to title screen<BR>
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</UL>
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<P>Note - Keys cannot be changed</P>
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<P>
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<TABLE BGCOLOR="#000099" WIDTH="100%"><TR><TD><B>How to Play</B></TD></TR></TABLE>
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<P>When first starting Project: Starfighter you will see the text scrolling introduction. You can
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either wait for this to finish or you can skip it by pressing ctrl or space.</P>
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<P>The title sequence will begin. Once the menu is shown (or you opt to skip to it by pressing
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space or ctrl) you may select from the options shown</P>
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<TABLE>
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<TR><TD BGCOLOR="#FF0000"><CENTER> Start New Game </CENTER></TD></TR>
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<TR><TD BGCOLOR="#FF0000"><CENTER> Load Game* </CENTER></TD></TR>
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<TR><TD BGCOLOR="#FF0000"><CENTER> Continue Current Game* </CENTER></TD></TR>
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<TR><TD BGCOLOR="#FF0000"><CENTER> Options </CENTER></TD></TR>
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<TR><TD BGCOLOR="#FF0000"><CENTER> Quit </CENTER></TD></TR>
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</TABLE>
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<P><I>* will only be shown if there are saved games available</I></P>
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<P><B>Start New Game</B><BR>
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This will start a new game
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</P>
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<P><B>Load Game</B><BR>
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This will bring up a list of currently available games to be loaded, along with the planet that
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the game was saved in. This option is only shown when there is at least one saved game available.
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</P>
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<P><B>Continue Current Game</B><BR>
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This will automatically load the most recently saved game. This option is only shown when there is
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at least one saved game available.
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</P>
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<P><B>Options</B><BR>
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This will show a list of game options. Options for sound, music and an auto save slot can be changed.
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Music and Sound can be switched to either On or Off. The Auto Save Slot allows the player to select
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a save slot that will automatically be updated when the player finishes a mission. This can be
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switched from None to 1, 2, 3, 4 or 5. When this option is set to a number, that save slot will be
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used to save a game at the end of a mission. Note that any currently existing game will be
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automatically overwritten.
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</P>
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<P><B>Quit</B><BR>
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This will quit the game. Quitting is immediate, without prompting (the game can also be quit at
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anytime by clicking the close button of the window).
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</P>
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<P>
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<TABLE BGCOLOR="#000099" WIDTH="100%"><TR><TD><B>Loading and Saving Games</B></TD></TR></TABLE>
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<P>Games can be loaded from the title screen. When there are saved games available, the option "Load
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Game" will be shown. Selecting this will show a list of available games to be loaded. Select a game
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from the list to load, you will then be taken to the Intermission screen. To go back, selected
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Back to Main Menu.</P>
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<P>Games can be saved in two ways. The first way is to save a game on the Intermission screen. Move
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the cursor to the Save Game icon and select it. You will see a list of five game slots that can be
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used to save a game to. Click one of these and then click the "Save" button to save the game. The
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second way is to use the Auto Save function. This will automatically save your game after you have
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successfully completed a mission. To make use of this feature you must choose a save slot that
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you wish to auto save into. This can be done on the title screen in the options section or on
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the intermission screen at the options section.</P>
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<P>
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<TABLE BGCOLOR="#000099" WIDTH="100%"><TR><TD><B>Getting Missions</B></TD></TR></TABLE>
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<P>In each System, the player can get missions by going to the Comms section of the Intermission
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screen. Here allies will inform you of tasks that need to be performed and what planet these tasks
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apply to. Once the player has decided which task they will perform, they must go to the corresponding
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planet in the system (see Moving Around for more details). Once stationed at the planet
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click "Start Mission" to proceed to the mission briefing screen. The "Start Mission" icon will not
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be shown if the mission of the planet has been completed.</P>
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<P>
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<TABLE BGCOLOR="#000099" WIDTH="100%"><TR><TD><B>Mission Briefing</B></TD></TR></TABLE>
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<P>Before the beginning of each mission you will be presented with a mission briefing screen. This
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will outline the mission's primary and (if any) secondary objectives. It will also inform you of
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mission restrictions, such as time limits. Once you have read this, press ctrl or space to
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continue</P>
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<P>
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<TABLE BGCOLOR="#000099" WIDTH="100%"><TR><TD><B>Completing Missions</B></TD></TR></TABLE>
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<P>Each mission in the game has one or more objectives tied to it. These objectives are either
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Primary or Secondary objectives. In order to complete the mission, the player must complete all the
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primary mission objectives. For example, when the game begins Chris is fleeing a WEAPCO patrol. The
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primary objective for this mission is to destroy all the enemy fighters. Once this is achieved the
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Firefly will leave the sector and the mission will be marked as a success.</P>
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<P>One thing to note is that some missions will have both Primary and Secondary objectives. In this
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case, the Firefly does not leave the sector if all primary mission objectives are complete and
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secondary objectives remain. The player may then attempt to complete remaining secondary
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objectives or press Escape to leave the sector. Secondary objectives are optional.</P>
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<P>During the mission you will see messages appearing at the bottom of the screen. These messages
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can be related to items that you pick up, as well as mission related information.<P>
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<P>
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<FONT COLOR="#FFFFFF">White messages</FONT> are standard for picking up items such as cash and
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power ups<BR>
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<FONT COLOR="#00FF00">Green messages</FONT> signify successful completion of mission objectives<BR>
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<FONT COLOR="#00FFFF">Light Blue messages </FONT>give further details about Primary mission
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requirements<BR>
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<FONT COLOR="#FF0000">Red messages</FONT> indicate mission failures, warnings and wing mate
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ejections<BR>
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<FONT COLOR="#FFFF00">Yellow messages</FONT> give further details about Secondary mission requirements
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<BR>
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</P>
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<P>
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<TABLE BGCOLOR="#000099" WIDTH="100%"><TR><TD><B>The Target Arrow</B></TD></TR></TABLE>
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<P>
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<IMG SRC="targetArrow.png" ALIGN="LEFT">
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The Target Arrow can be used to locate enemies and point you in the direction that the enemy craft
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is. You can toggle the Target Arrow on or off by pressing "T" on the keyboard. This arrow is very
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useful for finding enemies that are evasive (such as transports) on missions that require you to
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destroy all present craft. Simply follow the arrow to find the enemy. The arrow will not be displayed
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when you are within the immediate vacinity of the target. On certain missions (such as Bosses) the
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arrow will initially point towards a certain target that is part of the mission objective. The
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target's current remaining shield is also displayed in the bottom right hand corner of the screen.
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Please note that due to the nature of the game, the target arrow cannot be cycled through enemies.
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</P>
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<P>
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<TABLE BGCOLOR="#000099" WIDTH="100%"><TR><TD><B>Moving Around Systems</B></TD></TR></TABLE>
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<P>To play a mission in Starfighter you must be stationed at the relevant planet. To get to the
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planet you require, you will need to click on the planet whilst viewing it on the Show System section
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of the Intermission screen. Travelling between planets can be dangerous, but luckily Spirit is a
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peaceful place and there are no chances of interceptions, so travel is instantaneous.</P>
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<P>Other systems are not as friendly and whilst travelling to a new destination the player runs
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the risk of being intercepted by a WEAPCO patrol. After Spirit the player will select a planet
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to travel to by clicking on it with the mouse. "Destination", followed by the planet's name
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will appear in the bottom right hand corner of the screen. A new icon labelled "Go To Destination"
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will also appear. Clicking this icon will make the player travel to the destination planet.</P>
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<P>Travelling to new planets is represented at the bottom of the screen by the two planets (the
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one being travelled from and the one being travelled to). A red bar will fill up as the journey
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progresses. The speed the bar fills up will vary occurring to how far away the planets are from
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one another. At any point during this time the planet can be intercepted (see Interceptions).
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Once the red bar has filled up completely the journey will be completed and you will be
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stationed that the new planet.</P>
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<P>
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<TABLE BGCOLOR="#000099" WIDTH="100%"><TR><TD><B>Interceptions</B></TD></TR></TABLE>
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<P>Interceptions can take place whilst travelling between two planets within a system. When the
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player is intercepted they will go directly into a mission-like scenario. The objective of this
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interception is to clear all attacking forces. Once this is done, the player will be free to
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leave.</P>
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<P>Interceptions also serve other purposes - Sometimes the WEAPCO patrol may have slave
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transports with them. One of the objectives of a later system is to rescue a certain amount of
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slaves. This is only possible during interceptions.</P>
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<P>One important thing to remember is that any damage the player receives during an interception
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will NOT be repaired until they have reached the destination planet. Therefore if the player
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is heavily damaged during one interception that damage will still be present if they are
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attacked again. This can make interceptions very dangerous.</P>
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<P>
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<TABLE BGCOLOR="#000099" WIDTH="100%"><TR><TD><B>Weaponry and Upgrades</B></TD></TR></TABLE>
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<P>During the course of the game you will receive money. Money is gained from destroying enemy craft
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and picking up cash spheres in game (please be aware that due to the nature of the game cash is not
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earned for destroying ships during Interceptions).</P>
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<P>Money can be used to upgrade the Firefly and purchase additional ammunition for weapons. Items
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can be purchased from a shop on the Intermission screen.</P>
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<P><B>Temporary Upgrades</B>
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<UL>Temporary upgrades are used to boost the Firefly's ability to be powered up. For example, at
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the start of the game the Firefly can only be powered up to fire two plasma bolts are once. By
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purchasing an upgrade for the Firefly, you can allow for power ups to enable you to fire a maximum
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of up to five plasma bolts at once. Note that this only affects power ups and these will still be
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ammunition limited. To upgrade your default weapon, you will need permanent power ups (see below).
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</UL>
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</P>
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<P><B>Permanent Upgrades</B></P>
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<UL>These power ups are more expensive than temporary upgrades, but are permanent. Whereas a temporary
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upgrade requires you to make use of power ups on an ammunition limited base, permanent power ups are
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not limited. This is highly useful when facing heavily shielded and tough opponents, with no means
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of getting plasma ammo or transports in sight! When you power up your permanent weapon, your
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powered up weapon level will also be automatically upgraded if it is less powerful than your new
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current power up level.<P/>
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When the Firefly's Primary Weapon has been upgraded to its maximum output (3 plasma cannons) the
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player can toggle the output type by pressing Shift. The output type can either be Concentrate (the
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default firing type) or Spread. Various situations can call for varying the output type.
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</UL>
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<P><B>Secondary Weapons</B></P>
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<UL>
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As well as primary weapons and temporary upgrades, the Firefly is also capable of using a
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secondary weapon. At the start of the game this is a rocket launcher. Like the other weapons in the
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game this can be upgraded by purchasing a new weapon from the shop. At the start of the game, a
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Double Rocket Launcher and Micro Rocket Launcher are available for purchase. Secondary weapons are
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used in the same way the rocket launcher is used (Space to fire). However the Laser Cannon and
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Charge Cannon work differently.<P/>
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Neither the Charge Cannon or the Laser Cannon are ammunition limited (unlike the other rocket based
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weapons). The Charge Cannon works by the player holding down the Space bar and releasing it. A
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meter at the bottom of the screen shows how much charge has been built up. The Laser Cannon works
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by the player holding down the Space bar to fire a stream of laser fire. It is prone to over heating
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and must be allowed to cool after usage.
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</UL>
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<P>Certain weapons and upgrades will not be available to you until later in the game, so remember
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to save your money for them</P>
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<P>
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<TABLE BGCOLOR="#000099" WIDTH="100%"><TR><TD><B>Item Spheres</B></TD></TR></TABLE>
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<P>When an enemy craft is destroyed they will sometimes release ammo and cash spheres. Certain
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enemy craft will release power up spheres that can give your weapon a temporary boost. The following
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are spheres that can be picked up during missions,</P>
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<TABLE>
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<TR><TD><IMG SRC="cash.gif"></TD><TD><B>Cash Sphere</B> - Provides you with an additional cash bonus</TD></TR>
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<TR><TD><IMG SRC="ammo.gif"></TD><TD><B>Plasma Ammo Sphere</B> - Increases your current plasma ammo</TD></TR>
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<TR><TD><IMG SRC="rocketAmmo.png"></TD><TD><B>Rocket Ammo Sphere</B> - Increases your current rocket ammo</TD></TR>
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<TR><TD><IMG SRC="plasmaDamage.png"></TD><TD><B>Power Sphere</B> - Boosts your plasma power</TD></TR>
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<TR><TD><IMG SRC="plasmaAmmo.png"></TD><TD><B>Output Sphere</B> - Boosts the amount of plasma shots you can fire</TD></TR>
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<TR><TD><IMG SRC="plasmaRate.png"></TD><TD><B>Cooler Sphere</B> - Increases your plasma firing rate</TD></TR>
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<TR><TD><IMG SRC="superCharge.png"></TD><TD><B>Super Sphere</B> - Three / Five way spread, full power and cooling (Rare)</TD></TR>
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</TABLE>
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</P>
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<P>
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<TABLE BGCOLOR="#000099" WIDTH="100%"><TR><TD><B>Cut Scenes</B></TD></TR></TABLE>
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<P>During the course of the game mini cut scenes will be shown after certain missions. These scenes
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serve to extend the plot of the game and provide the player with gameplay tips. If you wish to
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skip a cut scene press Escape. It is advised that you only skip cut scenes if you have already seen
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them.</P>
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<P>
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<TABLE BGCOLOR="#000099" WIDTH="100%"><TR><TD><B>Ending the Game</B></TD></TR></TABLE>
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<P>The game is over when the Firefly's shield units are reduced to 0 (zero), or a Primary Mission
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objective is failed. At this point, you will see the Game Over screen. To continue, press Ctrl
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or Space. You will then be taken back to the title screen. In certain missions the game will end
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if Sid Wilson is killed.</P>
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<P>
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<TABLE BGCOLOR="#000099" WIDTH="100%"><TR><TD><B>About</B></TD></TR></TABLE>
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<P>Parallel Realities started off writing games on the Amiga using AMOS and then, later, Blitz Basic
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2. Games written included the BOTSS Trilogy and most notably TANX Squadron. TANX Squadron was awarded
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Amiga Format's contributor prize of the month in the summer of 1999. Project: Starfighter originally
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started life on the Amiga but was never completed. Development began again for Linux in 2002 with this
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being our first C program. The game matured quickly from the initial ideas and this is the finished
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product. We do hope you enjoy playing it.</P>
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<P>Project: Starfighter<BR>
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Copyright Parallel Realities 2003<BR>
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All Rights Reserved</P>
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<P>Created using the <A HREF="http://www.libsdl.org">SDL library</A></P>
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<P ALIGN="RIGHT"><A HREF="http://www.parallelrealities.co.uk">www.parallelrealities.co.uk</A></P>
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</BODY>
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</HTML>
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