Enigma - Copyright Geckosoft 1995
November 1995


INSTRUCTIONS

Welcome to Enigma, a game of mental and physical dexterity for the PC.
This game is written in 100% blistering assembler and has super slick graphics
and sound. Includes main game and five cool subgames, 150 levels of pure
60 Hz arcade gameplay and perplexing puzzles.


So basically, what's it all about?

Enigma is based on the ancient game of BREAK-OUT. Most people will be
familiar with this genre of game, either the first time round (circa 1970's)
or the second time round with Arkanoid (Circa 1980's).
The main screen consists of a wall of blocks at the top and a bat at the
bottom. The score, level and pickup status are displayed along the bottom of
the screen.
Using the mouse, you must control the bat in order to prevent the ball from
bouncing off the bottom of the screen. When the ball hits a normal block,
the block will be destroyed and there is a chance that either a nasty or a
pickup will appear.


Oh no! It's a NASTY!

When a nasty appears, it will usually fall down the screen. Different
nasties have different attack waves and properties. You may be able to shoot
them although it may be wiser to run away. You will have to learn the best
method to deal with each nasty for yourself.
WARNING: Touching a nasty is a BAD thing.


Praise the lord, it's a PICKUP!

Life isn't just nasties you know, there are pickups too. There are
a number of pickups to help you on the way, the instruction screen from the
main game menu will show you all of them along with their name. Most pickups,
when collected, have a little icon on the score bar to tell you what it is.
The icon will start to flash just before the pickup effect wears off.
(One of the most important is the pickup shaped like a spinning star: Get
this as it will lead you to a sub game.)


What do you mean, SUBGAME?

Enigma contains FIVE subgames, each one weirder than the last. When you
collect the subgame pickup the display will switch to the BETTING SCREEN and
then to a randomly selected subgame. You will be shown some simple
instructions on how to play the game. It is in your best interest to win the
subgame as this will give you extra lives etc.


This BETTING SCREEN seems a bit weird.

It's not that bad. The window on the left shows what you could win, the
window on the right shows what you could lose. You should click on the start
button when the prize is good and the loss is minimal. If you win the
subgame and the 'Win' box says 3 Lives, then 3 Lives will be given to you.
Conversely, if you loose then whatever is in the 'Loose' box will be deducted.
Things that you can win or lose include lives, points and levels.


Where's the 3D texture mapping?

Erm, there is no 3D texture mapping. Not every game has to be DOOM you know.


What's that falling junk?

You mean the stuff falling from the gaps in the blocks? That's, erm, falling
junk. On some levels when a gap is created in the blocks, dangerous objects
start to fall down. They are all bad for you, the fire and rocks damage you
and the snow flakes freeze the bat for a second or two.

Some other things...

WARP HOLE: The warp hole appears on some levels with varying frequencies,
it effects various factors, including the bat, ball, bullets
and missiles. Experimentation is they key.
CHAOS: This pickup looks like a large ball with an exclamation (!)
mark on it. When collected it invokes CHAOS for a few
seconds. Chaos involves multiple invinciballs which cannot
fall out the screen and also the bat is shielded. This is a
pretty cool pickup.
GAME DIFFICULTY: The difficulty of the game gradually increases with the level
number. The last couple of levels should prove to be quite
a challenge!
LEVEL CODES: There are 150 levels in the game and you will get a password
every 10 levels. There are no passwords in the shareware
release of the game.
SHAREWARE: The shareware version of ENIGMA has been cut down to 10 levels
and only 2 subgames. To upgrade your copy to the full version
which has 150 NEW levels and 5 subgames then read file called
REGISTER.TXT.
BLOCKS: Not all blocks have the same attributes. An exploding block
has to be hit a number of times before it will break,
showering you with dangerous fragments. A metal block cannot
be broken at all.
MOUSE SPEED: If the bat moves too fast or too slow, change the speed in
options menu. ENIGMA uses a special interpolation method to
make the mouse appear smoother.
MAGNETS: Sometimes a magnet appears at the side of the screen and
you are pulled towards it. You've got to try and counter the
motion. Hey - nobody said it was gonna be easy.

There are many more interesting things to find in ENIGMA, experimentation and
learning is the only way to get through to the end.



Who made this game?

Tony McBride : Assembly language programming, design, testing.
Nick Donnelly : Concept, Graphics, Design, Sound, Levels.



DISCLAIMER: WE ACCEPT NO RESPONSIBILITY FOR ANY DAMAGE, EITHER MENTAL OR
PHYSICAL, TO PERSONS, HARDWARE OR SOFTWARE RESULTING FROM THE
USE OF THIS SOFTWARE.
THE UNREGISTERED VERSION IS SHAREWARE AND CAN BE FREELY
DISTRIBUTED AS LONG AS NO CHANGE IS MADE TO ANY FILE AND NO
CHARGE IS MADE.
THE REGISTERED SOFTWARE IS COPYRIGHT GECKOSOFT 1995 AND MUST
NOT BE COPIED, LENT, OR RESOLD.


Any correspondence can be sent to:

E-Mail: [email protected]

Snail Mail: Geckosoft
PO Box 5157
Glasgow
Scotland
G822HF



Feel free to write in with any playing tips, bugs, complaints or questions.
(If there are enough, we will release a FAQ.)


Bye Bye,

Nick Donnelly
Tony McBride