CYLINDRIX DEMO README.TXT
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INTRODUCTION
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Cylindrix is a combat strategy game that takes place in a true 3-D
world. You fight to stay alive as you maneuver your ship along the
surface and in the air. You need to charge your shields, tag pylons,
and protect your radar base all while trying to direct your wingmen.
To make combat increasingly more difficult and challenging each arena,
or Cylindrix, has many variables such as light quality, physics, arena
set up, and the competence of your opponents. One of the most unique
features of Cylindrix is the 3-D AI, an advanced artificial intelligence
that not only reacts to circumstances, but maneuvers in three
dimensional space and takes directions from you, the team leader.
This demo can be played as a Custom Game, in a Practice Arena, or as
a Null Modem Game. The final product will have a large Tournament
Game and a full IPX Network Game.
FIRST THINGS FIRST
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Be sure and read the TROUBLE.TXT file on the program disk. It contains
the most current up-to-date and detailed information. Be aware that
the programmers wrote that file!
Minimum System Requirements for this demo:
- 486/66 DX (SX chips will NOT work; math coprocessor is mandatory)
- 8 MEG of RAM
- 5 MEG hard drive space
- 100% Sound Blaster compatible sound card.
TECHNICAL ASSISTANCE
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If you experience difficulties the following will get you the best and
quickest results:
1. Go to our web page at http://www.goldtree.com. Here you will find
a list of bugs and problems. Any patches, fixes, or files 'o' fun
will also be here.
2. E-mail us at Goldtree@communique.net with your problem and we
will reply promptly.
KEEP IN TOUCH
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Check out our really cool Web site! http://www.goldtree.com
Email us! Goldtree@communique.net
Snail Mail : (or communication for the technically challenged)
Goldtree Enterprises
3525 Hessmer Ave. Suite 204
Metairie LA 70002
STARTING THE DEMO AND MENU OPTIONS
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Custom Game
In Custom Game, you can select from all of the races for your wingmen,
select from all of the ships, and select various arenas for fighting
freeform. The AI of the races all vary, some harder to beat
than others.
Training
You may want to start on the bunny slopes before you face the full
rigors of the Cylindrix.
Null-Modem Game
A null modem is a cable between two computer's serial ports.
MENU OPTIONS
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Sound - Adjust CD ROM, voices, and sound FX levels.
Detail Options - Adjust the detail levels of the world
Keyboard - Configure your keys to liking.
Joystick - Select, calibrate, and configure your joystick.
View Statistics of a Player - Select Pilot and view his
battle statistics.
LEARNING TO KICK ASS
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THE PLAYING FIELD
THE CYLINDRIX. This is the playing field in which the game takes place.
Your vehicle can either skim along its surface or detach from the
surface and fly freely within the Cylindrix. Each end of the Cylindrix
is capped with a force shield preventing you from escaping combat.
All of the cylinders are the same size, but the various lighting
conditions will make some feel smaller or larger than others. Each
square on the surface of the cylinder is 40' x 40'.
A cylinder's measurements are:
Height: 382 feet high, or approximately 27 stories high
Length: 1200 feet, or 87 stories long
Square foot area: 1,440,000
Total cubic feet: 137,000,000
Pylon: Average height, 7 stories
Radar Base: 45 feet high
PYLONS. Towers of energy called pylons jut from the surface of the
Cylindrix. When your vehicle collides with a pylon, the pylon becomes
charged to the polarity of your team, turning it whatever color your
vehicles are. As a result, your teams weapons will do more damage.
Capturing pylons is of extreme importance.
RADAR BASES. Each team has a radar base somewhere on the surface of
the Cylindrix. The radar bases will fire relentlessly at any enemy
vehicles in range. The radar bases control the homing of energy
missiles, and update each vehicle's radar display. If your radar base
is destroyed you lose both of these.
ENERGY SQUARE. Each Cylindrix has on its surface an energy square.
If you move your vehicle over the square its shields will be recharged.
HEADS UP DISPLAYS
Each of the eight ships has a uniquely designed Heads Up Display, but
they all display the same information.
ON SCREEN RADAR DISPLAY. This is an actual 3D display of the cylinder
and always moves in relation to your view of the cylinder. Your ship
is represented by the white square that is at the bottom of the
cylinder when you are on the ground and when you are in the air the
white dot will move in relation to the cylinder. The blue squares
represent the blue team, the red squares represent the red team.
Any time your radar locks onto a ship, the square representing that
ship will have a yellow box around it. If your radar base is
destroyed, your radar disappears.
CROSS HAIRS AND RADAR LOCKING. These cross hairs allow for the aiming
of lasers by eye or missiles when your radar is inoperable. When you
lock radar on an opponent, a diamond shape will appear between the
radar lock box, and your ship. When the cross hairs, the radar lock
box, and the diamond are all lined up, then you are facing the enemy
directly.
SHIELD STRENGTH DISPLAY. The shield strength level is indicated by
the bar on the screen with the 'S' on it. Every time your force shield
is hit with a laser or a missile it is weakened. If your vehicle is
shot after your energy shield has been depleted, it will be destroyed.
There is a brightly colored square on the cylinder's surface, called
the Energy Square. If you move your vehicle on top of it while on the
surface, your shield's strength will recharge.
MISSILE DISPLAY. The number of missiles you hold is displayed here.
Missiles regenerate automatically.
** Using special weapons often depletes missile energy. See Reference
on how each ship handles its missile depletion.
WEAPON DAMAGE DISPLAY. The relative amount of damage you are able to
do, the number energized pylons you have tagged on the Cylindrix
surface (see "The Playing Field" above) is indicated on the bar on the
screen with the "D" next to it.
WINGMAN 1 And WINGMAN 2 - COMMAND DISPLAY.
Every time you give a command to your wingman, it is displayed here.
WINGMAN 1 And WINGMAN 2 - SHIELD STRENGTH DISPLAY.
The shield strength of your two wingman is displayed here.
KEY CONTROLS: MOVEMENT, WEAPONS, AND WINGMAN COMMANDS
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NOTE: Cylindrix allows the reassigning of keys, but the default
settings are as follows.
AERIAL AND SURFACE CONTROL
"s" Take Off and Land
"v" Change viewpoint, in or out of ship.
"Esc" Pauses game and brings up an options menu.
SURFACE ONLY CONTROLS
Up arrow Move forward
Down arrow Move backwards
Right arrow Rotate right
Left arrow Rotate left
"Alt" Sidestep Right or Left using arrow key (Strafe).
AERIAL ONLY CONTROLS
"a" Throttle Faster
"z" Throttle Slower
Up arrow Nose down
Down arrow Nose up
Right arrow Rotate right (Clockwise).
Left arrow Rotate left (Counterclockwise).
"Alt" + arrow key Step Up, Down, Right, or Left (Strafe).
WEAPONS CONTROLS
"Ctrl" Fire laser
Space Fire energy missile
"x" Engage Special Weapon
COMMANDS TO WINGMEN KEYS
W 1 W 2
F1 F7 Get Pylons
F2 F8 Attack
F3 F9 Attack Enemy Radar Base
F4 F10 Defend Home Radar Base
F5 F11 Group - Surround and Defend
F6 F12 Orders Canceled
GENERAL WEAPONS, LASERS AND MISSILES
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Each vehicle has three weapons: lasers, missiles, and a special weapon.
The reference section below defines special weapons for each ship. On
the surface your lasers and missiles take on the same magnetic
properties that your ship does and skims along the surface of the
cylinder. In the air they move in a straight line since they have no
attraction to the surface. Your missiles are radar controlled, and
once they lock onto an enemy they follow the enemy until they explode.
REFERENCE: SHIPS, RATINGS, AND SPECIAL WEAPONS
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DRAGON FLY
Special Weapon: Cloaking
The dragonfly is a satisfactory ground and air vehicle with low shields
and low firepower. Its main asset is its ability to cloak, becoming
invisible to both radar and the naked eye. Unfortunately, it becomes
visible if it fires when cloaked. It uses its missile energy to cloak,
and is only able to stay cloaked as long as this energy lasts. Missile
energy is unable to recharge while cloaked, so it is necessary to
periodically uncloak to recharge missile energy.
LOCUST
Special Weapon: Hologram Projections
The locust is a fair ground and slightly below average air vehicle with
medium shields and medium firepower. It has the ability to use missile
energy to spawn decoys of itself to fool enemy radar and opponents.
These three decoys mirror the ships own movements, making it very
difficult to tell the difference between the decoy, and the real ship.
WASP
Special Weapon: Ramming
The Wasp is a below average air and ground vehicle with very powerful
shields and good firepower. The Wasp is constantly charged with
explosive energy that will damage any vehicle that collides with it,
including other team members.
BEETLE
Special Weapon: Control Scrambler Missile
The Beetle is a below average ground vehicle and good air vehicle with
medium shields and low firepower. It has special energy missiles that
scramble the computer systems of any vehicle it hits, causing that
vehicle to be virtually uncontrollable by the pilot.
CREDITS AND SPECIAL THANKS
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Production, marketing, co-development
Luke Ahearn (Cool Hand). GOLDTREE Enterprises
Goldtree@communique.net
Programmer: 3-d engine, hyper-logic, math, physics
Tony Thibault (gfx_god). Hotwarez LLC
Hacker: graphics primitives, hardware (yuck) interrupts (yuck),
artificial intelligence
John R. McCawley III (Cap'n Hardgeus). Hotwarez LLC
Art direction, web page, bald guy jokes
Mike Whalen (BL!TZ). Blitz Design
Chris Bankston Character Artist
Richard Mouton CAD Engineer
Ann Carruthers, Ed.D Documentation Editor
VOICES
Ava Beaudoin Gerald Comeaux
John Conner Ken Cummins
Jessica Daigle Cherie Ducote
Major Flowers Jeena LaBella
Jenny LaBella Matt Lagrange
and a cast of extras
SOUND FX BY GOON
Thanks to:
DJ Delorie Writer, DJGPP gnu C for the PC.
Charles Sandmann, Eli Zaretsky DJGPP guys
Joel H. Hunter Soundblaster Library
Dan Stocker AI help
Special Thanks to:
Skor Bars, pizza, Caffeine, Prozac, and that special GIF file.
This game was written using DJGPP V2 which is a DOS port of the
gnu C compiler. DJGPP is available at oak.oakland.edu (or any
Simtel mirror) in vendors/ DJGPP.
DJGPP Newsgroup: comp.os.msdos.djgpp.
Please read the DJGPP faq before posting questions.