
===================================================
 R Blade version 3.0  for the TI-86	
 copyright 01/02/2002
 by Thibaut Chevalier	moitib_calliope@hotmail.com
===================================================


 First thanx for having downloaded my game.
  I'm french and i'm studying english so excuse me if i make some mistakes in this file.
  I took a lot of time to create R Blade and I'd like to make it evoluate, so please e-mail
  me with ideas, comments, bug reports...     moitib_calliope@hotmail.com


 What's new in this version 3.0 ?
- Sound !!
- Teacher key
- Fixed the spelling of the "alpha grab" ; now liu-kang (sorry for the ones who knew it was wrong..)


 To run the game, launch it from a shell or using "asm(RBlade" from TI-OS.


 Game modes:
  This game is an half-pipe rollerblading game. There are two game mode :

- free skate:  
  In this mode, you are not limited by the time. 
  The score is reset every trick.
  You can try new tricks and see how many points each trick brings.

- Contest:
  In this mode, you have a 60 seconds run to do.
  After 60 seconds, the rider will fall.
  Of course your goal is to make the higher score you can.
  By now, you skate only one run, but i'm planning to organize the contest with 3 runs.
  If you have an highscore, you will have to enter your name.


 The game screen:
  When you select "free skate" or "contest", you will see the game screen. Here is its description :

- On the top left corner, you see lines. It is the "overall speed", indicator.
  You can change it with F4 and F5. It will slow or accelerate the whole game (not the rider speed).
  You will use it sometimes, when the riders moves to fast, because it's sometimes hard to see it. So when
  you can't see the rider, press F4 to slow the game, and when he's moving too slowly, press F5 to accelarate
  the game.

- When you will press enter, the rider will drop and a new indicator will appear on the bottom left corner.
  It is the speed of the rider.He accelarates by himslef each time he goes on the flat. it is just an indicator.

- In contest mode, you will have the time on the bottom right corner.

- On the top, in the middle of the screen, there is the score board.
  When you start the game, it countains the game mode, and during the game, your score on the bottom and the 
  tricks on the top.

- if the sound is activated, you see a speaker under the score board

 the game:

- Press enter to drop. The rider moves himself, you just have to do tricks when he jumps.

- The tricks are:
	- Rotations
	- Flips
	- Invert (or hang-plant)
	- Grinds : royale or top makio

  When the rider arrives on a side of the vert, if you don't press "x-var", he jumps.
  Then you can rotate with from 0 to 1080 degrees, and do grabs (two differents: mute and liu-kang).
  If you don't make an integer number of half-turns ; 
	at high speed : you will crash at high speed and 
	at low speed : you will be slowed, and you will get less points (on the score board, you see "sloppy")
  If you wait to be at the top of your jump before doing a rotation, your rotation will be "late", and you will get a lot of points.
  You can also do flip (from 1 to 3!). If you don't make an integer number of flips, you will always crash, even at low speed :(
  I you press the "x-var" key, the rider will execute an invert. When you stop pressing the key, he goes down.
  If you press the key a long time he will crash :)
  If you press "x-var" and "down", the rider will do a royale (slide). It is like an invert.
  If you press "x-var" and "up", the rider will do a top makio (slide). It is like an invert too (and like a royale).


 The score:
  Here are the big rules on the tricks' score:

- The score is relative to the rotation and to the lenght of your inverts, slides or flips.
	- 40 points per turn in a rotation
	- 80 per flip
- Each grab adds 25 points to the total.
- If you do a late, your score is multiplied by 2.
- If you do a sloppy jump, your score is divided by 2.
- And now there are five tricks category : 0 degrees, Rotation, Late rotation, Flip, Invert, Grinds (royale and top makio)
	- If you do two consecutive jumps of the same category, the trick's score is divided by 2.
	- If you do three consecutive jumps of the same category, the trick's score is divided by 4.
	- If you do three jumps, the first and the last of the same category, the trick's score is divided by 2.
  That's why you'll have to diversify tricks if you want big scores ! The game is then more interessant, I think.
- An invert or a slide can bring a maximum of 149 points. A longer time and you crash.
- If you crash, you will get no points.


 Advice:
- Do varied tricks !
- The best trick of the game is : 540 late + makio + mute (or + mute + makio, it is the same).
- At small speed, you'd better do inverts, royales or flips : it gets more points than a small rotation.
- At small speed, don't try to do big rotations or you will do sloppy rotations, and will get no speed !


 The sound:
I think this is the first ti-86 game with real-time sound.
To ear it, you will use a 2.5mm <-> 3.5mm adaptator. You plug a 2.5 male jack in the calc, and headphones (3.5mm on the other end).
Start the game, then plug the system and you have sound !!!
You can activate it or desactivate it with the S key.
I don't know if sound sucks batteries a lot. Please report it to me if that happens !
You may found the sound a little basic, but i'll try to ameliorate it.
By the way, if you dislike it, just desactivate it.

I've noticed that Virtual TI cannot produce sound and reads the keys and update the screen very well in the same time so the game isn't very playable on vti.
Moreover, if you dont acivate the sound on vti (enable sound), the game goes very very very slowly (strange).
But there is no problem on a real calc (actually on mine! but i think i will work on yours).


 The keys:

- Main screen:
  - Up/Down 	: move the arrow
  - Enter		: start a game, see the highscores, or exit
  - Exit		: also quits the program

- During the game:
  - Left/Right 	: rotate
  - Up/Down 	: do flips
  - 2nd		: do a mute (grab)
  - Alpha		: do a liu-kang (grab)
  - x-var		: do an invert
  - x-var + up 	: do a top makio
  - x-var + down	: do a royale
  - S		: enable/disable sound
  - More		: pause the game
  - F4/F5		: increase/decrease overall speed
  - Exit		: go back to main menu

- In paused mode:
  - +/-		: increase/decrease the contrast
  - F4/F5		: increase/decrease overall speed
  - S		: enable/disable sound
  - Exit		: go back to main menu
  - Any other key	: continue the game

- At the start or after a fall:
  - Enter		: continue (drop)
  - S		: enable/disable sound
  - Exit		: go back to main menu

- If you have an highscore:
  - Letters from "A" to " " : print the same character as in Alpha mode (the "=" key is ".")
  - Clear		: erase the entry
  - Enter		: validate your name (you are limited to 6 characters)

- In the highscore table:
  Enter or Exit	: go back to main menu


 History

Version 2.0 :  (11/01/2002)
- The rider is more visible (2 times visible on the flat).
- Gring added : royale (actually like an invert, the rider doesn't move)
- Flips added : You can now do backflips and frontflips
- Clear entry fonction when you enter your name for an highscore
- Clever scoring system : If you do 2 or 3 times the same trick (category), your score for 
  the trick is lower, so you'll have to dodifferents tricks to have a lot of points.

Version 3.0 :  (01/02/2002)
- Sound !!
- Graphics to show your rank whan you have finished your contest run.
- Changed the graphics of the highscores table.
- Teacher key


 Future versions
  I will try to make a contest in 3 runs instead of only one.
  Ability to mix rotations and flips.
  Perhaps another mode (high jump), in which you will have to jump as higher as you can by pressing a lot of time two keys.
  Way to reset high score...
  Best sound.

 Please e-mail if you have anything to tell me ! moitib_calliope@hotmail.com
   I'm not responsible if you calculator crashes during the play.
   Don't separe the program  from this file !


