Games Designer

Download the .tap file here - Games Designer - more of a level designer for a shoot-em-up but it deserves to be here.

Instruction Manual

PLAY GAME
SELECT NEW GAME
ALTER SPRITES
CONFIGURATION
MOVEMENT
ATTACK WAVES
LOAD FROM TAPE
SAVE TO TAPE

At any time, pressing [ENTER] will return you to the Main Menu, although it is sometimes necessary to press [ENTER] twice.

OPTION 1 - PLAY GAME

By pressing key 1 the 'current' example game included on the program can be played. (There are eight examples included with the program). If you wish to change the keyboard control keys of the game to meet your own preference, hold down the [CAPS SHIFT) whilst pressing key 1 to select this option. Remember to do this if required when writing your own game . The 'current' game can be changed by following the instructions for Option 2 . The game can then be edited by following the procedures outlined in Options 3,4.5 and 6.

The pre-programmed keyboard controls are on keys 6,7,8,9 and 0 depending on the game option selected.

To return to the Main Menu from playing a game, just press [ENTER) .

OPTION 2 - SELECT NEW GAME

This option enables you to select any of the pre-programmed games, which will then become the 'current' game.

On pressing Option 2, you are then asked to choose between games 1-8 and the 'current' game is then changed accordingly .

The program will then return to the Main Menu, enabling you to press Option 1 and the new 'current' game will then commence running. Alternatively, you may select option 3,4,5 or 6 to edit the new 'current' game.

The pre - programmed games under this Option are follows:-

1. ATTACK OF THE MUTANT HAMBURGERS
2. CYBORG
3. REFLECT RON
4. TURBO- SPIDER
5. TANKS A LOT
6. HALLOWEEN
7. SPLAT
8. QBIX

OPTION 3 - ALTER SPRITES

A 'sprite' is a collection of pixels which move across the screen in unison and provide the moving or even animated characters for the game, (aliens, ships or laser bases, figures, explosions, bombs, missiles, etc).

The shape and colour of each sprite can be pre-defined thus providing contrasts between types of sprite and different attack waves.

When Option 3 is selected a display of pre-programmed sprites will appear on the screen, any of which can be edited to meet your own specifications.

The various classes of sprite are grouped as follows:-

00-15	Aliens.
16-23	Ships or laser bases etc.
24	Missile for ship or laser base.
25	Missile or bomb for aliens.
26	Spare (can be used to shift or edit other sprites - see below).
21	Shield.
28-31	Explosion sequence.

Under the Sprite Chart a message prompt appears - 'SELECT SPRITE'. Just press the two digit number of the sprite you wish to edit.

No need to press [ENTER ] .

e.g. to change missile sprite press [24].

The screen display will now change to the SPRITE EDITOR.

On the top l eft of the screen are the keyboard controls. On the bottom left is a display of the actual size and colour of the sprite as it will appear on the screen whilst the game is in progress.

On the right of the screen is the sprite dot editor.

All sprites are groups of 12 x 12 dots and are shaped by filling in or erasing dots, using the keyboard controls as indicated on the display. To fill a blank dot just select the co-ordinates and to erase, select the co- ordinates of the dot to be erased.

Example 1 - To fill in 4 down, 6 across, press cursor down key [8] until cursor on fourth row down, then press (6).

Example 2 - To erase 2 down, 10 across, press cursor down key [8] until cursor on second row down, then press [9] to swap sides, then press [3].

N.B. When pressing [9] to swap sides, the number sequence at the top of the SPRITE EDITOR screen will be reversed. Please experiment until you become used to the SPRITE EDITOR controls.

To change the colour of a sprite, hold down the [CAPS SHIFT] key, then select a key from [0-7). The small display at the bottom left of the screen will now change to display the selected colour, which is now ready for use in the game . The background colour may also be changed, as explained under the notes for Option 4.

When you have finished editing the sprite and choosing its colour, press [ENTER] to return you to the Sprite Chart. You may now edit any other sprite by selecting lts number and following the same procedure.

After editing, a sprite will always be returned to its original number on the Sprite Chart.

For animation you may require 2 or 4 sprites which are identical except for very slight changes. To save time you can create the first in the sequence and then 'copy' it to other number locations on the Sprite Chart, so that you can make the necessary slight editing adjustments. To do this, when the Sprite Chart is on screen, hold down [CAPS SHIFT] whilst typing in the number of the sprite you wish to move. The message prompt will then change and appears as follows: -

'MOVE SPRITE nn TO'

Now release the (CAPS SHIFT) button and type in the number of the selected new location .

Important Note

When redefining missile sprites, the trailing (i .e. bottom or left) edge or the SPHITE EDITOR grid must be left blank to avoid a trail being left by the missile if this is not required.

To exit from ALTER SPRITES OPTION, press [ENTER) to return to the Main Menu.

OPTION 4 - CONFIGURATION

When this option is selected, the following CONFIGURATION MENU will appear:-

1	..........	GAME FORMAT = 2
2	..........	BACKGROUND = 0
3	..........	FOREGROUND = 6
4	..........	SPECIAL FX = 3
5	..........	MISSILE SOUND
6	..........	BOMB SOUND
7	..........	SHIP EXPLODE
8	..........	ALIEN EXPLODE

Pressing one of the keys [1 - 8] will enable you to change a control setting. A flashing cursor shows which item you have selected. A selection can be cancelled by simply pressing the [ENTER) key .

CONFIGURATION CONTROLS

1 - GAME FORMAT

This control changes the movement direction of your ship or laser base, the area of screen in which it can move, the types of control keys to be used during the game and whether the keyboard or a joystick is to be used.

The various GAME FORMAT options are as follows:-

0 - Invaders type.
1 - Asteroids type.
2 - Scramble type.
3 - Berserk type.

To use joystick, add the number 4 to any of the above values. e.g.

Invaders + Joystick = 0 + 4 = 4
Scramble + Joystick = 2 + 4 = 6

A message prompt appears when the GAME FORMAT option is selected reading 'ENTER NEW VALUE (0-7)' Press the appropriate key to select new GAME FORMAT.

2 - BACKGROUND

Press key [2] to change background colour. A message prompt appears - 'ENTER NEW VALUE [0-7)' When the new colour is selected, both the BORDER and PAPER colours will be changed accordingly when the game is played.

3 - FOREGROUND

Press key (3) to change foreground colour. Again, a message prompt appears - 'ENTER NEW VALUE [0-7) When the new colour is selected, the score-line information and stars will be changed to the selected colour when the game is run.

4 - SPECIAL FX (EFFECTS)

This option controls the following special effects: -

STARS - optional on- screen.
ALIEN INITIALISE - whether aliens appear singly or in groups.
SHIELD - whether shield is available to ship or laser base.

There are eight options (0-7) as listed in TABLE 1 at the end of the manua1.

To return to CONFIGURATION MENU from any option 1-4, press (ENTER)

5,6,7 and 8 - SOUND EFFECTS

Press a key from [5-8] to change one of the sound effects.

5 = Missile Sound
6 = Bomb Sound
7 = Ship Explode
8 = Alien Explode

When one of the above keys is selected, the SOUND EDITOR CHART will appear on screen. Each sound has 5 controls each being represented by a graphic slider knob. Each knob can be moved up and down using the numerical keys (0-9). The controls are as follows:-

FREQ - sets overall frequency or pitch (1 = up, 2 = down)
RAMP 1 - sets speed at which pitch increases (higher pitch / 3 = up, 4 = down)
RAMP 2 - sets speed at which pitch decreases (lower pitch / 5 = up, 6 = down)
LEVEL - sets amount of pitch change caused by RAMPS 1 & 2 (7 = up, 8 = down)
TIME - sets length of sound (9 = up, 0 = down)

RAMP 1, RAMP 2 and LEVEL are off when knobs are set at the bottom of their sliders.

Press [SYMBOL SHIFT] to trigger the sound. You will probably find that you need to experiment in order to obtain the sound you require.

Press [ENTER] to return from Sound Effects to the Main Menu.

OPTION 5 - MOVEMENT

On the left of the screen are displayed the eight programmable movement patterns [0-7].

At the top right is the DIRECTION NUMBER CHART.

At the bottom right is the PATTERN INDICATOR.

Each movement pattern is made up of the following:-

To edit a Movement Pattern choose which PATTERN is to be edited [0- 7]. e.g. to edit PATTERN 0 type [O] and a flashing cursor will appear at the start of that PATTERN, which will also be plotted on the PATTERN DISPLAY at the bottom right of the screen .

A message prompt will then appear 'ENTER PATTERN <8 9>' By pressing a direction key [0- 7] as per the DIRECTION NUMBER CHART you may then change the direction. The cursor will then move on to the next position.

To edit 'NEXT' function, move cursor to the 'NEXT' column. You can repeat the same movement pattern by setting 'NEXT' to the same number as the appropriate PATTERN number. e.g. to repeat PATTERN O, set its 'NEXT' value at 0.

To build up a more complex movement, link PATTERNs together e.g. set PATTERN 0 at 1 NEXT 1 value 4 etc.

KEYBOARD CONTROLS - Press [8] to move cursor LEFT Press [9] to move cursor RIGHT Press [ENTER] to finish editing

OPTION 6 - ATTACK WAVES

When Option 6 is selected the ATTACK WAVES CHART appears on screen.

It contains eight programmable attack waves numbered from 0-7 down the left hand side of the screen.

The remaining columns, reading from left to right are operated as follows:-

A game always starts at attack wave 0.

KEYBOARD CONTROLS

Hold down [CAPS SHIFT] and press one of the arrowed cursor keys [5,6,7 or 8] to move the cursor. It will jump in the indicated direction to the next number.

TABLES

The following tables at the end of this manual may be referred to when altering attack waves.

TABLE 2 - ANIMATION (ANIM)
TABLE 3 - SPEED (SPD)
TABLE 4 - ATTACK WAVE, ANIMATION AND SPRITE CONTROLLER

OPTION 7 - LOAD FROM TAPE

With this Option you can LOAD a game which you have previously SAVEd.

N.B. It is always necessary to LOAD the Games Designer program first before your own game can be LOADed.

OPTION 8 - SAVE TO TAPE

Select this option to save a game you have written which can later be LOADed by using Option 7.

APPENDIX

TECHNICAL INFORMATION

For those of you who may be interested:

Each game uses a 2K buffer which is manipulated by the menus.

All data - entry validation is done in the menus in order to cut down on the amount of checking required by the run-time module. Thus run-time checks are restricted to those which could cause a system crash. When a game is to be run the data is pre-processed to a convenient form and the relevant parts transferred to buffers in the run-time module.

A dual task system is implemented at run-time, the graphics and sound being interrupt driven, whilst break-ins and star movement are a background task.

The program was developed on a standard 48K Spectrum with one micro- drive and a slightly modified version of the excellent Pic turesque Assembler/Editor.

The only ROM calls are for tape I/01 error handling for these being re-directed. All other screen, keyboard and sound I /0 is handled directly .

Four of the games supplied with the program were designed by people with no programming expertise.

Table 1

Refers to special FX under option 4.

N.B.
2 Stage Aliens are made from 2 sprites
4 stage Aliens are made from 4 sprites
See table 4 for restrictions of which sprites and movement patterns amy be used.

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