ΝΝΝΝΝΝΝΝΝΝΝΝΝΝΝΝΝΝΝΝΝΝΝΝΝΝΝΝΝΝΝΝΝΝΝΝΝΝΝΝΝΝΝΝΝΝΝΝΝΝΝΝΝΝΝΝΝΝΝΝΝΝΝΝ Impulse Software and Absolute Magic present T U B E S ΝΝΝΝΝΝΝΝΝΝΝΝΝΝΝΝΝΝΝΝΝΝΝΝΝΝΝΝΝΝΝΝΝΝΝΝΝΝΝΝΝΝΝΝΝΝΝΝΝΝΝΝΝΝΝΝΝΝΝΝΝΝΝΝ Tubes: The Story ΝΝΝΝΝΝΝΝΝΝΝΝΝΝΝΝ In a lab far far away in the Great White North... Dr. Lanny B. Brilliant was completing his work on the creation of 8 new elements not yet included on the periodic table. After going over his Nobel Prize acceptance speech in his head... Suddenly his future didn't seem so bright... Lanny hadn't researched his new elements enough to have discovered they were highly unstable. Before he could react, they were everywhere. He had nothing for the Nobel Prize committee to assess. But there is still hope! Lanny knows he can stabilize the atoms if he bonds 3 or more atoms of the same element together, forming a molecule chain. Maybe you can help... Tubes: The Game ΝΝΝΝΝΝΝΝΝΝΝΝΝΝΝ The object of Tubes is to keep the large beaker as free of atoms as is possible. This is accomplished by lining up 3 or more like coloured atoms in a row, vertically, horizontally, or diagonally. Use the test tube you control to catch the atoms falling from the dispenser tubes and place them into the beaker at your discretion. The game is over when you've dropped enough atoms to exceed the drop limit, or when you've filled up the beaker with atoms. Minimum System Requirements ΝΝΝΝΝΝΝΝΝΝΝΝΝΝΝΝΝΝΝΝΝΝΝΝΝΝΝ Tubes will check to ensure your system meets the minimum requirements, however, here they are: - At least a 286 processor. A 386, 486, or Pentium is fine. - 420K of free conventional memory is the minimum. Sound will require an additional 65K and Music will require 25K. Total memory requirements are 510K. - A VGA card with at least 256K. Super VGA cards are also fine. Tubes also supports the following hardware: Sound -PC Speaker -Sound Blaster Music - FM (Adlib) - General Midi Input Device - Joystick - Mouse At this point you might as well run Tubes by typing "TUBES" at the DOS prompt. C:\TUBES\>TUBES Tubes will run the SetUp program so you may configure Tubes for your system. If you have any problems or wish to know more about Tubes, continue reading. Setting Up Tubes ΝΝΝΝΝΝΝΝΝΝΝΝΝΝΝΝ Once you have configured the game, you won't have to run the setup program again, unless you wish to change any of your previous device choices. Sound Effects: Sound Blaster is the best selection for the sound effects, and will enable you to hear the outstanding digital sound effects throughout the game. If you do not have a Sound Blaster card, the PC Speaker can also play the digital sound effects. This method is very processor intensive and will require a very fast computer, at least a 386 running at 25mhz. There are two quality modes. "Good as it gets" will sound the best. If Tubes plays very badly, your computer probably can't keep up. Try the "Okay" setting, if Tubes is still unplayable, then select "No Sound." This method will sound really bad if your computer does not use a normal speaker (cone). Notebooks and Laptops are an example of this. Music: Only FM music is available. Those with Adlib compatible cards such as the Sound Blaster and it's many clones will allow you to hear the fantastic sound track that accompanies the game. There is no music available to users with no sound card. Input: The recommended input method is the joystick, although some may prefer the keyboard. The mouse is provided for completeness, however it is not ideal for this type of game. The default Keys for the Keyboard are the cursors keys for movement, CTRL for Button A, and ALT for Button B. Select Keyboard to redefine your keys if you prefer. Main Menu ΝΝΝΝΝΝΝΝΝ You can move around the menus with your input device. Button A selects the highlighted option, and Button B returns to the previous menu. Start Game: Starts the game of Tubes. After selecting this option, you are then asked to choose between Wave and Endurance mode which are the two styles of game play in Tubes. After selecting the mode of play, you must choose the difficulty level - 101 is the easiest, for beginning players because it allows 9 drops, 201 allows 6 drops, and 301 is for the expert player who is only allowed 3 drops. Atom speed and the rate that they appear is also determined by the difficulty setting. Continue Saved Game: Starts a previously saved game from where you left off. Preview Registered: Lets you play five waves of the deluxe registered version featuring the extremely helpful ANTI-MATTER and BONUS atoms.. Game Options: Opens another menu which includes the options of Toggle Sound and/or Music, and Define Input Device. Instructions: Lanny the scientist takes you through a detailed instructional course on the playing of Tubes. Information packed - a must read. High Score: Displays the high score list for both Wave Mode and Endurance Mode. Ordering Info: Gives the registration information required to register Tubes. Consult ORDER.TXT for more information. Credits: Displays information about the two fine young men who made Tubes a reality. Exit: Exits the game, and returns you to your operating system. Tubes & Windows ΝΝΝΝΝΝΝΝΝΝΝΝΝΝΝ Tubes should always be played from DOS. Tubes will detect a multitasking environment when it starts up and will recommend you run from DOS but it won't stop you. The game will give up time slices but it's recommended if you must run Tubes from Windows that you don't run anything else at the same time. Windows and the digital PC SoundFX option should not be used together. Tubes should work, but will be unplayable during a sound effect. Hints 'n' Tips ΝΝΝΝΝΝΝΝΝΝΝΝΝΝ Playing Endurance mode is a great way to learn how to play Tubes for the first time. Hoard Flashium atoms in the test tube until they can be used most effectively, these are valuable atoms and shouldn't be wasted. Use Anti-Matter atoms to destroy troublesome Xenon atoms that accumulate in the beaker. Try to create a 4 or 5 atom chain when possible, since they count as 2 and 3 chains respectively, and double the points. Scoring ΝΝΝΝΝΝΝ Task Points 3 Atom Vertical/Horizontal/Diagonal Chain - 250/500/1000 4 Atom Vertical/Horizontal/Diagonal Chain - 500/1000/2000 5 Atom Vertical/Horizontal/Diagonal Chain - 1000/2000/4000 Catching Bonus Atom - 2500 x number caught Multiple Chain - Chain Values x Number of chains Problems ΝΝΝΝΝΝΝΝ Tubes generates three error messages: "Run SETUP.EXE to configure Tubes for your System" Tubes hasn't been setup for your system. Normally, Tubes will run the SetUp program for you, if it can't do that it displays this message. The solution is to run SETUP.EXE yourself then run TUBES.EXE again. "Tubes requires bytes of free memory with this SetUp!" Tubes checks how much free conventional memory you have when it first runs. If you don't have enough Tubes aborts with this message. The solution is to free up more memory or lower Tubes' memory requirements, for example, turn sound and/or music off. " Resource Error!" It could mean many things, but 99% of the time it means there wasn't enough memory to load something Tubes requires. Although rare, it is still possible to get this error even though Tubes checks to ensure you have enough memory when it first runs. The solution is to free up more memory or lower Tubes' memory requirements, for example, turn sound and/or music off. Shareware ΝΝΝΝΝΝΝΝΝ Tubes is copyrighted software, however you are encouraged to copy and freely distribute the Shareware version as long as all files are included. Shareware allows you to "try it before you buy it". Why register? Besides getting an incredible registered version of Tubes, registration will ensure future games will be released and with the same high quality. You are also supporting the entire Shareware concept, without which, many excellent programs would not be available. Neither Impulse Software nor Absolute Magic receive a penny when you purchase a disk with Tubes from a Shareware Library, or download it from a commercial information service, such as CompuServe, or from a BBS. Read the info in the game for price and other registration information. Copyright Notice ΝΝΝΝΝΝΝΝΝΝΝΝΝΝΝΝ Tubes is Copyright 1994 by Absolute Magic. Tubes is the sole property of Absolute Magic. All rights reserved. Nice and short. About Tubes ΝΝΝΝΝΝΝΝΝΝΝ Tubes was written in Borland Pascal v7. It consists of approximately 15,000 lines of Pascal code and compiles completely in under 20 seconds. Tubes uses a planar Mode 13h commonly referred to as Mode X, all graphic routines were written with the built in assembler present in Borland Pascal. I experienced great difficulty debugging the VGA graphics with planar modes being undocumented so I created a utility called UNCHAIN that fixed the problem along with other VGA related problems such as losing the palette. It's free so if you also have problems, it's out there somewhere. All of the drivers (Music, Sound FX, Input) were created in Turbo Assembler's IDEAL mode and are loaded at run-time as need. About the Authors ΝΝΝΝΝΝΝΝΝΝΝΝΝΝΝΝΝ Absolute Magic is the figment of our imagination. The name was lifted from an ancient Egyptian war chant. Absolute Magic has been entirely subsidized by the Canadian Government due to its commitment to the environment. This innovative company is currently working on a snow shovelling simulator that is so real, you'll swear your back hurts! If you absolutely must contact us, you can try "absmagic@io.org" on the Internet. We don't check there often, but we'll printout and frame your letter once we get it. C O L I N B U C K L E Y: Birthplace: Hospital Place of Residence: N/A (Witness Relocation Program) Favorite Movies: Howard the Duck, The Sound of Music Favorite Books: Anything by Kierkegaard Favorite Foods: Brussels sprouts Favorite Drinks: Shamrock shakes Favorite Band: Abba Favorite Sport: Gambling Favorite Colour: Fuchsia Favorite Roadsign: Yield Hobbies: Surfing the Internet, Picking up trash on the Information Superhighway, using buzz-words Turn-Ons: Trekkies Turn-Offs: People who don't rewind videotapes, Correct spelling Previous Occupation: Moonie Future Game Ideas: Revenge of the Big-Ass Ants C H R I S B L A C K W E L L: Birthplace: Toronto, Ontario, Canada Place of Residence: Toronto, Ontario, Canada Favorite Movies: Reservoir Dogs, Carlito's Way, Star Wars Trilogy, Evil Dead 2 Favorite Books: Cabal, Books of Blood, 2001, Anything by Harlan Ellison Favorite Foods: Tuna Sandwiches Favorite Drinks: Coke, Pink Squirrels Favorite Bands: Fudge Tunnel, Clutch, Fugazi, Helmet, Tool, Gush Underdrive Favorite Sport: Hockey Favorite Colour: N/A (Colour blind) Favorite Roadsign: Merge Hobbies: Watching TV, Pinball, Complaining, Cursing, Being annoying Turn-Ons: Body Shaping, Star Trek conventions Turn-Offs: America's Funniest People, Rewinding videotapes Previous Occupation: Totally Unemployable Future Game Ideas: Space Invaders clone ΝΝΝΝΝΝΝΝΝΝΝΝΝΝΝΝΝΝΝΝΝΝΝΝΝΝΝΝΝΝΝΝΝΝΝΝΝΝΝΝΝΝΝΝΝΝΝΝΝΝΝΝΝΝΝΝΝΝΝΝΝΝΝΝ