/**** WOLFIE'S MUSIC GAMES VERSION 2.2 DOCUMENTATION ****/ Copyright (C) 1994 by: Paul T. Dawson P.O. Box 682 Chincoteague, Virginia 23336-0682 U.S.A. /**** INTRODUCTION ****/ Thank you for trying my "Wolfie's Music Games" program. Wolfie's Music Games is a collection of ten simple games for children. No special music skills are required - younger players can simply play the games until they chance upon the correct answers. Older kids can play competitively, while they reinforce basic music knowledge. The program requires EGA graphics and 640K memory, or higher. An 80286 or faster machine is recommended, but not required. /**** SPECIAL THANKS TO... ****/ Thanks and a tip of the hat to: Microsoft : BASIC P.D.S. V7.1 Compiler Genus Microprogramming : PCX Programmer's Toolkit : GX Text : GX Effects Fabrice Bellard : LZEXE /**** CONTENTS ****/ Shareware and Registration Information......2 Getting Started.............................3 Game Theory & Start-Up......................4 Game Information........................5 - 7 Left Side Buttons...........................8 More Miscellaneous Info.....................9 Super Registration Details.................10 Wolfie's Music Games V2.2 Documentation - Page 1 /**** SHAREWARE AND REGISTRATION INFORMATION ****/ Shareware lets you try software, and then pay the author after you decide to use the program. When you register Wolfie's Music Games (for only $10), you will receive the following bonuses: <> The latest version of Wolfie's Music Games. <> One free disk... your choice of: Googol Math Games.........(Three classic games) Googol Bonus Disk.........(Six original games) Googol Review.............(Number and word problems) Paul's Classroom Math.....(99% math drills) Flashcards................(EGA math practice) Lugnut Math City..........(EGA fun math maze game) Googolpede for Win3.1.....(Completely resizeable) Cheezi for Win3.1.........(Classic board game) Salad Scribble for Win3.1.(Fun with drawing) <> A sincere thank you! If your kids try the program once or twice, like it, and continue to play the games, then you really should register! "Super Registration" is just $35, and includes the latest version of ALL TEN programs listed above. These programs contain over twenty games, all for less than the cost of ONE commercial game! Everything is completely guaranteed! If you are not completely satisfied with any of the programs, I will refund your money. There should be a separate text file on the disk, called "WOLF.FRM". Please print it out, fill it in, and mail it! If the form is missing, all that I really need to know is: your name and address, video type (EGA or VGA), the disk size (5 1/4 or 3 1/2), and density (360K or 720K or 1.2M or 1.44M). All information on the order form, including your name and address, is strictly confidential, and not for sale to anyone for any reason. I'm in the educational software business, not the mailing list business! -------------------------------------------------- | In Australia only, you may register by | | sending A$15 to the Official Distributor: | | Alphon Edugames | | 221 Ridley Road | | Bridgeman Downs 4035 AUSTRALIA | -------------------------------------------------- Wolfie's Music Games V2.2 Documentation - Page 2 /**** GETTING STARTED ****/ To run Wolfie's Music Games V2.2, you need: <> An IBM or compatible computer. <> EGA graphics (or higher). <> At least 640K memory. /**** GETTING STARTED - FLOPPY DISKS ****/ Never run this or any program from the original disk. Make backups and run from them! Use DISKCOPY on your DOS disk to copy the disk. If you are not familiar with DOS commands, please find someone who is, and have them explain it all to you! Now that you have backups made, put the original disk away in a safe place. If all goes well, you will never need it again! Do not put a write protect tab on the disk! The program needs to read and write name and score information files to the disk. Put the disk in your active drive - usually drive A, but any drive will work. Type WOLF at the DOS prompt to get started. It takes a while to load, but after that there are no delays. Don't take the disk out of the drive until you are all finished and back to DOS! The program writes information to the disk, so the disk has to be there! /**** GETTING STARTED - HARD DISKS ****/ Follow these directions to put Wolfie's Music Games onto your hard disk. If you are not completely familiar with the following commands, please find someone who is, to help you! 1. Your hard disk must have at least 360K free. 2. Use MKDIR or MD to make a new subdirectory. (MD WOLF). 3. Use CHDIR or CD to get to the subdirectory. (CD WOLF). 4. Put the Wolfie's Music Games disk in drive A. 5. COPY A:*.* will copy all the files into the subdirectory. 6. To play Wolfie's Music Games, just type: CD\WOLF WOLF 7. Good Luck! On a hard disk, always use the DOS command "CD" to change to the proper subdirectory. Don't use the PATH command, since PATH usually only finds COM, EXE, and BAT files. Wolfie's Music Games V2.2 Documentation - Page 3 /**** GAME THEORY ****/ The games are intended to teach the relationships between three different music elements: the notes on the staff, the note letters, and the piano keys. Every combination has a game, arranged like this: I Show Note Letter > You Find Piano Key (Cookie Race) I Show Note Letter > You Find Staff Note (Raindrops) I Show Piano Key > You Find Note Letter (Windup) I Show Piano Key > You Find Staff Note (Blitz) I Show Staff Note > You Find Note Letter (Sonic Googolpede) I Show Staff Note > You Find Piano Key (Countdown) Block Toss, Elevator, Match, and Sharps & Flats each have their own special goals! There are five speeds for each game, and top ten score lists for all of the best players. Important notice - this program concentrates on 29 notes, specifically the white piano keys covering 4 octaves. The reason for this wide range is to prevent kids from getting "stuck" on the keys around Middle C. Although all those notes might look like too much at first, remind the kids that there are: >>> ONLY SEVEN NOTES <<< ...It's just CDEFGAB over and over, four times, with one extra "C" thrown in for good measure! /**** PLAYING WOLFIE'S MUSIC GAMES ****/ The first screen is the necessary title screen, with all of the copyright notices. Press any key! The second screen lets you choose your name from the player list, or add a new name. Use the up and down arrow keys to move, then press RETURN. Move to the very last line to enter a new name. At the main menu, use the arrow keys to move around, and then press RETURN. /**** PRE - GAME MENUS ****/ There is a simple menu at the beginning of each game. There are five speed choices, a help screen, a high score list, and a chance to go back to the main menu. Use the up and down arrow keys to choose anything on this menu, and then press RETURN. Wolfie's Music Games V2.2 Documentation - Page 4 /**** GAME INFORMATION - COOKIE RACE ****/ This game shows you the note letter, and you get to find any matching piano key. Each correct answer lets the little blue munching guy have four cookies. But... you'll have to hurry, because the red muncher wants ALL of the yummy cookies! Try to get as many as you can, before the two munchers run out of cookies and bump into each other! Use the left and right arrow keys to move, and press the spacebar when you get to the correct key. Don't worry about wrong answers, the game will make a little buzz, but you can keep on playing! Hint - use just ONE arrow key to move, and you can "wrap around" and use the entire keyboard! /**** GAME INFORMATION - COUNTDOWN ****/ There are 32 notes on the staff, and you have to hit the correct piano key for each one! Start with the note on the left, and work your way over to the right. Use the left and right arrow keys to move the pointer on the piano. Then press the spacebar when you get to the correct key. If you make a mistake, don't worry, the game will just buzz and let you try again! The countdown timer is over on the right side of the screen, and when it is filled with little color blocks, the game is over! /**** GAME INFORMATION - RAINDROPS ****/ Here's yet another "Invaders" variation! Use all four arrow keys to move the little shooter, and the blue staff note. If the shooter is under an "A block", you'll have to move the staff note to any "A" location. Then you can press the spacebar to blast that entire column. The goal is to score as many correct answers as you can, before the "Letter Blocks" reach the bottom row. Then the game is over! There are two complications... first, the blue staff note moves to a random location after every correct answer. This should keep you from hovering around Middle C. The second complication is not as bad - there are "$" blocks for free points! No matter what speed you start on, the game speed will always gradually increase. After a while things will be hectic! Wolfie's Music Games V2.2 Documentation - Page 5 /**** GAME INFORMATION - BLITZ ****/ This can be slightly confusing, since there are two things to worry about at the same time! On the left side of the screen is a "maze", filled with green and yellow arrows, and purple bugs. You control the little red bug with the arrow keys. Drive around a while, and munch the arrows, but don't hit the purple bugs. They end the game! It's alright to hit the walls, and you'll just "wrap around" to the other side. But... driving around isn't the point of the game! Your real goal is to move the staff note so it matches the piano key. Look carefully at the piano key (the green one), and figure out where the matching staff note should be! To move the staff note up one notch, just drive into a yellow up arrow. To move it down, hit a green down arrow. Remember, you're moving the staff note so it will match the piano key! When the note gets to the correct location, the board will clear, and another round will start. It will be faster every time, up to the maximum "100 Speed", which is virtually impossible! /**** GAME INFORMATION - WIND UP ****/ Wind Up shows you a piano key, and you have to make your little car jump and hit the matching letter! After every correct answer, your car moves to the right a little bit. Try to drive across to the right edge of the screen! The only key you need to use in this game is the up arrow. You'll have to time your jump carefully! You can press the SPACEBAR anytime to "rotate" the letters, and make the correct letter arrive sooner! /**** GAME INFORMATION - SONIC GOOGOLPEDE ****/ Here's the music version of my classic math game. The goal is the little blue note on the staff, on the right side of the screen. You have to guide the Googolpede into the matching letter block. When you hit the correct block, a new note will appear, and the Googolpede will get a little longer. There are just two ways to lose: drive the Googolpede into a wall, or into itself! If you hit the wrong letter block, don't worry. You can still keep playing, so find the right block! Wolfie's Music Games V2.2 Documentation - Page 6 /**** GAME INFORMATION - BLOCK TOSS ****/ Block Toss is a VERY simple game for young children. It is designed to show that "CDEFGAB" will fit in many places on a piano keyboard. Use the left and right arrow keys to move the block as it goes up the screen. When the "CDEFGAB" block hits the piano, it must be aligned perfectly, or the game is over! To make things slightly more interesting, there is a limit on the key presses - only 100 are allowed! So press keys carefully, and you'll be able to launch more blocks, and get more points. /**** GAME INFORMATION - ELEVATOR ****/ Elevator displays a goal note, and you have to move up and down the staff to reach it. There are just 14 notes in this game, because the little elevator doesn't stop between floors! Use the up and down arrow keys to move the elevator to the correct note, which will be one of "DFACEGB" in the either the Bass or Treble Clef. Press the spacebar when you get to the correct "floor". If you need a hint, press "H" for some help! /**** GAME INFORMATION - MATCH ****/ The goal here is to find the matching blocks as fast as possible. Just like all matching games, you can turn over any two blocks, and if they match, they are erased! Instead of pictures, the little blocks have MUSIC hidden under them, and you'll have to match all of the tunes! Use the arrow keys to move around, and press the spacebar to choose blocks. The messages over on the right side will let you know what's currently happening. The score is based on a countdown timer, so hurry! /**** GAME INFORMATION - SHARPS & FLATS ****/ This is also a matching game, but it's based on quick reflexes! You get to drive the little "monster" around the grid, and hit exactly the right (matching) notes. The little guy is always moving, so use all four arrow keys to steer him around. There is always one note on every line in the grid, so you'll hit the first note right away. There are no on-screen clues, so it may be helpful at first to write the matches on paper (A+B- C+D- D+E- F+G- G+A-). After you clear all ten notes, another (faster) round begins! Wolfie's Music Games V2.2 Documentation - Page 7 /**** LEFT SIDE BUTTONS - HELP ****/ This doesn't tell you very much! For specific game help, look at the sixth choice in each "Pre-Game Menu". /**** LEFT SIDE BUTTONS - INTRODUCTION ****/ This is a VERY simple little description of the program. /**** LEFT SIDE BUTTONS - RENAME YOURSELF ****/ This lets you choose your name from the player list, or add a new name. Use the up and down arrow keys to move, then press RETURN. Move to the very last line and press RETURN, to enter a new name. Press ALT-D to delete any name from the list. /**** LEFT SIDE BUTTONS - HIGH SCORES ****/ There are TEN high scores for EACH game, which is a little much for just one screen. So... use PageUp or PageDown to see both pages of scores, and then ESC to exit. /**** LEFT SIDE BUTTONS - NOISE IS ON-OFF ****/ Just press RETURN on this button to toggle the noise. The only exception to the noise setting is in "Match", which will always make noise! That's because "Match" is based on matching sounds! /**** LEFT SIDE BUTTONS - PALETTE ****/ This section lets you match any color value with any of the 16 EGA colors. If you're not careful, you can end up with an unreadable or invisible screen! Remember that PgUp and PgDn move from one color to the next, and the arrow keys adjust the actual RGB values. Press ESC to exit with the default palette! /**** LEFT SIDE BUTTONS - KEYBOARD INTRO ****/ This is a very simple demo of all the piano key names! /**** LEFT SIDE BUTTONS - TILE FACTORY ****/ Use the up and down arrow keys to see all of the tiles, and then press F2 to "Re-Tile" the background with your choice! Press F10 to switch to the "Tile Design" screen, where you can design your own (10 pixel by 10 pixel) tile. Study the On-Screen key list! /**** LEFT SIDE BUTTONS - REGISTRATION ****/ This is the advertising department. Register today!!! /**** LEFT SIDE BUTTONS - QUIT ****/ After a tiny one-second delay, you can exit from the program. Wolfie's Music Games V2.2 Documentation - Page 8 /**** GAME OVER MENU ****/ At the end of each game, there is a simple menu, with three choices. You can choose "REPLAY" to immediately start over, with the same starting speed. Or choose "GAME MENU", to go back and change speeds or check the high score lists. The final choice is "MAIN MENU", which sends you right back there! /**** SCREEN SAVER ****/ If no one presses any keys at the main menu for about two minutes, an extremely simple graphics display will take over the screen. Just press any key to get back to the main menu! /**** COMMAND LINE OPTIONS ****/ If the background seems too garish, just type: WOLF /PLAIN or WOLF /DOTS ...at the command line, for a plain or slightly dotty background! To use your own custom palette, just type: WOLF /PALETTE /**** WOLFIE'S MUSIC GAMES PRODUCTION HARDWARE ****/ The Wolfie's Music Games program was produced on a "Snap It Together Yourself" generic 386 computer. (Obsolete in 1994!). /**** WOLFIE'S MUSIC GAMES PRODUCTION SOFTWARE ****/ Wolfie's Music Games was produced with the Microsoft BASIC P.D.S. V7.1 compiler, Z-Soft's PC-Paintbrush, the Genus PCX Programmer's Toolkit, and dozens of utilities too numerous to mention! There are over 205,000 bytes of meticulously crafted source code, in addition to the 130K+ of graphics files and fonts. The README-7.EXE program was written in Borland's Turbo C. Wolfie's Music Games V2.2 Documentation - Page 9 /**** SUPER REGISTRATION DETAILS ****/ When you send in the $35 Super Registration, you will receive seven complete DOS programs, and three Windows 3.1 programs... Googol Math Games: Three classic math games for all ages! Googol Bonus Disk: This is a collection of six games, all of them non-shareware and available only from the author. There are four math games, and two non-math puzzles just for fun. CGA & 512K. Googol Review: Review has standard number problems with many different levels (+-x/). There are also math word problems, with millions of different combinations, and all of the options that you have seen in "Googol Math Games". CGA & 640K. Paul's Classroom Math: This is a text mode math drill program, intended for classrooms. There is complete recordkeeping for up to 60 students. There are no graphics, no noises, and no frills! Flashcards: This is a simple EGA math practice program, with no high scores to worry about. EGA & 512K. Lugnut Math City: How about a run-jump-and-shoot maze game, with just the right amount of math? Lugnut Math City has ten mazes to explore, and you can even design your own mazes! EGA & 512K. Wolfie's Music Games: The latest version of this program! Googolpede for Windows 3.1: This is a little version just for Windows users, and it's completely resizable. Great graphics! Cheezi for Windows 3.1: Great version of the classic board game! Salad Scribble for Windows 3.1: Easy and fun drawing program! Please remember, most of these programs require EGA graphics, so they will NOT run on older CGA monitors. If you have a VGA or SVGA monitor, that's great - everything will work perfectly! The special price of $35 is based on "7 games times $5", which covers all of the regular DOS programs. The Windows 3.1 programs are included in the package at no extra cost. /**** THANKS AGAIN VERY MUCH FOR TRYING WOLFIE'S! ****/ Paul T. Dawson P.O. Box 682 Chincoteague Island, Virginia 23336-0682 U.S.A. September 1, 1994 /**** THAT'S ALL, FOLKS! ****/ Wolfie's Music Games V2.2 Documentation - Page 10