DRONE - Shareware Version 1.01
  
Copyright (c) 1997, Pixelsplash Software, All Rights Reserved.

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CONTENTS 
 
1.  System Requirements for DRONE Shareware
2.  DRONE Shareware Version
3.  How to Load and Run DRONE Shareware
4.  Don't Forget to Run Sound Setup!
5.  How to Play DRONE
6.  Game Play Suggestions
7.  Cheat Keys
8.  Any Problems?
9.  Customer Service 
10. Credits 
11. Copyright & Trademark Information

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1. SYSTEM REQUIREMENTS FOR DRONE SHAREWARE 
 
Here's what you need to run DRONE Shareware: 

 - IBM PC or fully compatible
 - Pentium required, 100MHz or faster recommended
 - DOS 4.0 (or Windows 95, Windows NT, Windows 98)
 - 16 MB RAM
 - Hard drive with 18 MB free space for the shareware version (The 
   registered version requires 30 MB free space as well as a CD-ROM drive.)
 - 256 color (VGA) graphic capability 
 - Keyboard (default controller) or joystick
 - Suggestions: Sound Blaster(tm) or compatible sound card; most others
   are supported.

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2. DRONE SHAREWARE VERSION

DRONE Shareware is a smaller version of the registered version
of DRONE.  The shareware version of DRONE contains two levels; 
the full, registered version contains seven.
 
While the shareware version of DRONE is full-featured, fun and exciting,
you do get loads more in the complete, registered version of DRONE.  This
includes more boss ships that get bigger, nastier, and more challenging to
destroy.  Plus, if you can successfully disarm all six of the deadly alien
nuclear missiles, you'll meet the alien Mothership!  There are more strange
and wild stounds, beautifully rendered scenery, and a culminating
battle that is sure to provide hours of gaming fun.  So call 1-800-242-4775*
ext. 15426 and order the registered version now!

*Please note that the above 1-800 number is for credit card ORDERS ONLY.
Pixelsplash Software cannot be reached at this number.  To talk to us about
anything other than a new order, contact us directly at:

        email:  drone@pixelsplash.com
        website:  www.pixelsplash.com


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3. HOW TO LOAD AND RUN DRONE SHAREWARE 

If you're reading this file, you've already done all of the work!  Simply
switch to the directory that you unzipped the DRONE_SW.ZIP file in and then
type:  DRONE_SW  and press ENTER.


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4. DON'T FORGET TO RUN SOUND SETUP!

DRONE Shareware downloads assuming that no sound card is present.  In
order to hear the awesome sounds in DRONE, you must first configure
the sound information.

To configure DRONE's sound information for your computer, you must run the
SETUP.EXE program in the directory where DRONE was unzipped.  This SETUP
program is very self-explanatory.  If you know the settings for your
particular sound card, you can specify them manually.  If you aren't sure
about which sound card you have, or what the settings are, then you should
run the Auto Detect option:  

  - From the main menu, choose Auto Detect.  This is the first option in the
    main menu.
  - On the next screen, choose Detect.  Once it has reported that it has
    detected your sound card, choose Test.  Make sure your speakers are
    turned on and at a sufficient volume.  If you hear the test announcement,
    everything is OK.  Choose OK to return to the main menu.
  - From the main menu, choose OK, and then choose OK (again) to save the
    current settings.  This ends the SETUP program.
  - DRONE is now ready to play!  Run the DRONE_SW.EXE file from the directory
    where you unzipped the game.

NOTE:  If you do not hear any sounds from the test, or if DRONE's sounds are
still not audible after this SETUP program has been run, please contact us
at:  drone@pixelsplash.com

 
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5. HOW TO PLAY DRONE

DRONE is a top-view, vertical-scrolling shootout.  Your ship is at the
bottom of the screen.  You can move left and right using the left and
right arrow keys (or the joystick).  You have two types of weaponry:
exploding-tip, rapid-fire missiles, and the larger probe and stinger
missiles.  The exploding-tip, rapid-fire missiles are fired using either
of the CONTROL keys (or the joystick's FIRE button).  The blue probes and
red stinger missiles must be loaded first by using the down-arrow key.
Once you have loaded one of these, you can toggle back and forth between
either type by pressing the down-arrow key.  You launch the probes and
stingers by pressing the up-arrow key.

The red stingers will be the ones used most often.  These home in on
enemy ships and detonate larger explosions than your rapid-fire missiles.

The blue probes are used to disarm the alien nuclear missiles (Drones).
When a Drone appears, toggle to the blue probe and keep launching them
until a probe attaches to the Drone.  This begins the decoding process,
and then the actual disarming process.  This can take a while, depending
on which skill level you selected.  During that time, the alien ships will
attempt to shoot the probe off of the Drone.  When this happens, launch
another one.

Note that the target-tracking system can only communicate with one probe
or stinger at a time... which means that while a blue probe is on a Drone,
you cannot launch red stinger missiles!

The boss ships that appear right before the Drones are more difficult to
destroy.  If you're at your wit's end, visit the Pixelsplash website
(www.pixelsplash.com) for tips on destroying the boss ships.

***

THE BAD NEWS
An evil alien race has penetrated earth's security system.  They 
have launched six deadly nuclear missiles - called DRONES - now on 
their way towards major population centers.  All previous attempts 
to stop DRONES have been thwarted by the myriad of alien ships 
escorting these nuclear hell-raisers!

THE GOOD NEWS
Earth's brilliant scientists cracked the encrypted codes that guide 
these DRONES and have constructed devices which will decode them.  
Implanted into homing missiles - called probes - these devices can 
home in on and attach themselves safely to the DRONES.  From there 
they interact with the DRONES on-board circuitry to trick it into 
thinking it received a "disarm" signal from the alien mothership.

You have a number of high-performance ships loaded with exploding-tip 
missiles found to be quite effective in piercing the armor of the 
various alien ships.  Your ship is also equiped with proximity-detecting 
"stinger" missiles that automatically chase enemy ships.  When these 
go off, they burst into larger explosions and can wipe out several 
alien ships at a time.  

YOUR MISSION
Disarm all of the DRONES, destroying as many alien ships as possible 
along the way.

CONTROLS
LEFT & RIGHT Arrows - Moves Left & Right
CTRL - Fires
DOWN Arrow - Toggles Stingers & Probes
UP Arrow - Launches Stingers & Probes
ESC - Ends Current Game
P / R - Pauses / Resumes Current Game
SPACE BAR - Activates Shield
L Key - Grants Nine Lives!

SO HOW DO I PLAY?
Your mission is to disarm the DRONES, not to destroy them.  Do not 
hit the DRONES with your ships weaponry.  When launched, blue 
probes home in on and attach themselves to the DRONES.  Once 
attached, they decode and disarm the DRONES.  Also be watchful 
- the enemy ships will try to shoot the probe off the DRONE.  If 
this happens, just launch another! 

When launched, red stinger missiles attempt to home in on the 
nearest enemy ship. Upon impact, they detonate a powerful explosion.  

The probe's status is displayed in the lower left corner of the 
Heads-Up-Display.

THE TARGETING SYSTEM
When red stingers are loaded, the targeting system will attempt 
to lock onto the nearest, most threatenting enemy.  When red stingers 
are then launched, they will home in on the locked target.

When blue probes are loaded, the targeting system will attempt 
to lock onto the DRONE, even if it's not yet visible on the 
screen.  When blue probes are then launched, they will home in 
towards the DRONE.

HEADS-UP DISPLAY (HUD)
The HUD shows six DRONE icons.  The "current" DRONE is outlined 
by a box.  Blue DRONE icons represent disarmed DRONES; red ones 
represent detonated ones. 

When a DRONE is approaching, you will hear a warning beep.  This 
is a good time to ease up on firing - otherwise you may detonate 
the approaching DRONE.

SCORING
Your score appears in the lower right corner of the screen, 
right under your remaining lives.  For every ship you destroy, 
for every blue probe you attach to a DRONE, and for every DRONE 
you disarm, you'll get some points.  BUT, for all the ships you 
let slip by you, you lose points.  

Destroy Small Enemy	1
Destroy Medium Enemy  	25	
Destroy Boss		100
Attach Probe		10
Disarm DRONE		500	

If Small Enemy Escapes	-1
If Medium Enemy Escapes	-25
If DRONE Is Detonated	-1000	

For every 500 points you earn, you'll get another life.


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6. GAME PLAY SUGGESTIONS

Performance:

DRONE will run in either pure DOS or a DOS shell under any 32-bit
version of Windows (Windows 95, Windows NT, Windows 98).  However, unless
you are running a rather fast processor (200 mhz or higher, as of this
writing 10/97), you will get noticeably better performance running
DRONE under pure DOS.

If you are noticing performance problems such as slow graphics,
"hiccups" or skipping in the sounds, it generally means you are
suffering from the limitations of Windows' DMA bandwidth.  Try
running it under pure DOS and things should improve.

Joysticks:

DRONE supports any standard joystick that plugs into your sound card.
If your joystick does NOT plug into your sound card, but instead
plugs into a game card, you can try it, but there is no guarantee 
DRONE will recognize it.

DRONE does not begin recognizing the joystick until you configure it.
To do this, simply make sure the joystick is plugged in and then
select "Configure Joystick" from DRONE's main menu (using the arrow
keys on your keyboard).

First, DRONE will ask you to press the button for FIRING.  This will
be the button that shoots your rapid, normal fire.

Next DRONE will ask you to press the button for LOADING the probes
and stinger missiles.  This will be the button which loads the two
types of missiles, and then toggles back and forth between them.

Next you will be asked to press the button for LAUNCHING the probes
and stinger missiles.  This will be the button that fires off the
probe or stinger missile once you have loaded it.

Next DRONE will ask you to press the button for activating your ship's
shields.

Finally, DRONE will ask you to center the joystick and press the FIRE
button.  This is where DRONE will calibrate your particular joystick 
for your particular computer.

Suggestion:  Loading and launching probes and stinger missiles is
an integral part of playing DRONE.  Since standard joysticks do not
support the registering of more than one button at a time, it is
recommended that you use the "top-hat" for loading and launching
probes and stingers.  The top-hat (if your joystick has one) is the
little knob which can be pushed (with your thumb) in any of the
cardinal directions.

Since the top-hat has a higher priority than all the other buttons,
this will enable you to hold the FIRE button down while simultaneously
loading and launching probes and stingers at the enemy squadrons.


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7. CHEAT KEYS

You can pause the game at any time using the P key.  The R key will
resume the game.

Pressing the L key will automatically grant nine lives, however, you
will then be disqualified from the high-scores list.

Pressing the TAB key will toggle the "vertical retrace sync."  Turning
this off will cause the game to run much faster.  This is amusing but
serves no real purpose.  See how far you can get with the vertical
retrace sync off without using the L key!  


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8. ANY PROBLEMS?

If you have any problems installing and/or running DRONE Shareware, make
sure that you carefully read this entire file.  Double-check to make sure
your computer meets the system requirements listed in the "System
Requirements" section of this file.  If everything seems to be in order,
contact Pixelsplash by emailing us at:  drone@pixelsplash.com.


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9. CUSTOMER SERVICE 
 
If you have questions or problems with this product, please e-mail us at 
drone@pixelsplash.com.  We will respond!

Visit the Pixelsplash website (www.pixelsplash.com) for tips, hints,
and up-to-date information.


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10. CREDITS 

Concept & Programming:                                    John Amato

3D Modeling & Sound Mixing:                 John Amato & Cindy Vogan

Graphics Design:                                         Cindy Vogan

Business:                                   Cindy Vogan & John Amato

Technical Consultant:                                    Matt Archer

Keyboard Handler:                      Lee Hamel:  hamell@cs.pdx.edu


Special thanks to:

Jamie Amato
Todd Barlow
Gary Engle
Kevin Price
Pamela Ram
Todd Walderman and his sons, Jake and Ryan
Rob Warner
Danny Weiss


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11. COPYRIGHT & TRADEMARK INFORMATION
 
DRONE Shareware Version 1.01
Copyright (c) 1997, Pixelsplash Software.  All Rights Reserved.  
DRONE is a trademark of Pixelsplash Software.
 
Pixelsplash Software encourages you to distribute the shareware version
of DRONE to all of your family, friends, acquaintances, enemies, and even
those you're not sure about!  To ensure the integrity of this software,
please distribute only the DRONE_SW.ZIP file.  The complete shareware
version of DRONE will unzip from the DRONE_SW.ZIP file.

Re-distributing this software, in whole or in part, with altered
or tampered files (including but not limited to graphic, sound, or
executable files) is a violation of Federal copyright law.

Pixelsplash website:  www.pixelsplash.com
E-mail:  drone@pixelsplash.com


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