  _____________________________
 |                             |
 |            \\  //           |
 |             \\//            |
 |  V E C T O R \\ 2006        |
 |             //\\            |
 |            //  \\  ver.1.1  |
 |                             | 
 |    by Dan McFadyen &        |
 |       Lachie Dazdarian      |
 |       May, 2006.            |
 |_____________________________|

       ___________________
      | Table of Contents |
 |-----------------------------|
 | 1.0 - About The Game        |
 | 2.0 - Running The Game      |
 |    2.1 - Requirements       |
 |    2.2 - How To Play        |
 | 3.0 - Credits               |
 | 4.0 - Changes/Add-ons       |
 | 5.0 - Troubleshooting/Q&A   |
 | 6.0 - Updates               |
 | 7.0 - Contact               |
 |-----------------------------|


 -------------------
|1.0.About The Game |
 -------------------

Vector X 2006 is a 3D, wire-frame graphics action game 
where you control a space ship and avoid/destroy 
enemies/obstacles like mines or other space ships. 

The game consists of 5 missions and each mission is
structured like a long narrow passage, half-pipe 
looking, on the end of which you need to destroy a 
specific structure.

The game story develops with missions and each features
a different map and background. Mission maps feature 
bumpy terrains and you need to avoid collision with 
the ground too.

The game can be both mouse and keyboard controlled and
instructions about playing the game are accessible from 
the main menu(HELP option).

This game is FREEWARE. I take NO responsibility for any 
damage or loss of data etc. that may occur by 
installing/using this software. As FREEWARE, I offer no 
liability to provide maintenance of the software or 
technical support. You are allowed to share this software 
in its original state but are not allowed to make money 
on it.

Vector X 2006 is a FreeBASIC port of a relatively unknown
QBasic game Vector X from 2001 made by Dan McFadyen. This 
port brings loads of improvements on the original version. 
I dare to say it's more than a port but less than a remake 
since the 3D engine and mission maps are almost intact. 
The original(version 1.00) featured this excellent 3D 
engine(though wire-frame) but also a lot of sloppiness 
in the code which resulted in potential but pretty much 
unplayable game on today PCs. Both of this motivated me 
to do the port and highly advance the original. The result 
is Vector X 2006. I did my best not to compromise the 
original content. 

Since it was a sudden decision for me to do this port I 
didn't try to contact the author of the original(I can't 
get online from home) so in advance apologies to him(if 
he ever sees the game) if any of his unspoken wishes or 
ideas about the original code were compromised with
this port.

This package comes with the level editor(in source code
only) which came with the QBasic version too. This is a 
quick FB port of it with few fixes(you can now exit from 
it, I added a help screen, ...). Did not use it to 
create maps so I can't help you there.


 ---------------------
|2.0.Running The Game |
 ---------------------

This game is a Windows 32-bit application so you 
shouldn't have problems running it on any Windows 
version from and including Windows 95. Just double 
click on VectorX_2006.exe.


 -----------------
|2.1.Requirements |
 -----------------

A PC with Windows 95 or above installed. I think a 
486 could run this game but how fast I can't tell.


 ----------------
|2.2.How To Play |
 ----------------

This is a rather straightforward game. You control
a space ship with the mouse or the keyboard(arrow
keys) while avoiding the ground, mines and enemy
space ships. All of this you can destroy using
your weapon(missiles). On the end of each
mission(5 of them total) you need to destroy
a specific structure by shooting at it(naturally).

ENTER and left mouse button are your confirm
keys on various screen. SPACE should work too. 
Just be aware that on some screens like the 
briefing or game over screen you have to wait 
for few seconds to be able to skip that screen.

Details on controls are inside the very game.


 ------------
|3.0.Credits |
 ------------

Original code, script and 3D engine/maps/objects: 
Dan McFadyen

Additional code, design, graphics and porting: 
Dean Janjic(a.k.a. Lachie Dazdarian)

Music: Dean Janjic(mostly preset FL Studio 6
sequences/patterns meshed up and down)

Sound effects: Various public domain resources

Game fonts: Chris Chadwick(from his PP256 utility)

The source code was compiled in FreeBASIC ver.0.15(last 
time I was online ver.0.16 was not OFFICIALY out so 
bug off!).
GFXlib 2, a FreeBASIC's gfx library by Angelo Mottola 
was used to do code all the graphic routines in the game.
Background images were created using The Gimp 2.2.
Menu image was created using GrafX 2.00 Beta, The Gimp 2.2.
and IrfanView.
Music and speech messages were hacked up in Fruity Loops 
Studio 6.
The code was written in FBIde 0.4.6, an open-source IDE for 
the FreeBASIC compiler(I grow fond of it).
Music and sound support by FMOD sound library by Firelight 
Technologies Pty, Ltd.
Aha-soft IconoMaker was used to create the game icons.
Audacity was used to edit the sound effects.
Custom font printing routines by yours truly were used
to load and print custom made fonts in the game(what a 
shock).

Thanks to:
Richard Eric Lope for...you know what(winks)
Pete Berg for...you know what(winks)
MystikShadows for...you know what(winks)
Zap for...you know what(winks)
Jocke The Beast for...you know what(winks)
Andre Victor T. Vicentini for...you know what(winks)
Z!re for being a loving wife
Angelo Mottola for...you know what(winks)
Adigun Azikiwe Polack for...you know what(winks)
SJ Zero for...you know what(winks)
Neo for...you know what(winks)
Nekrophidius for...you know what(winks)
Matt2Jones for...you know what(winks)
Sumo Jo for...you know what(winks)

And one more thanks for being able to take a joke. ;)


 --------------------
|4.0.Changes/Add-ons |
 --------------------

Changes and add-ons on the QBasic version.

Changes:
--------
* graphics bit depth was changed from 8 bit 
  to 16/24 bit color depth mode
* removed the unnecessary black "delete lines" from
  the 3D engine; FB provides double buffering
  so in every loop CLS is used or a background
  image deletes the content from the previous
  loop
* replaced the old incompatible mouse driver
  routines with the GFXlib ones
* the 3D terrain now scrolls over the lower edge
  of the screen
* slightly changed the altitude meter and made it
  optional
* added "ground bump effect" to prevent the player
  to dig into the ground with the ship(works the
  best with the keyboard controls)
* removed the center mouse screen since it 
  serves no purpose now; in this version when the
  ship is destroyed it's bumped on the center of
  the screen and for a while it becomes invulnerable
  (signaled by blinking)
* fixed the old code so that the player can
  play the last mission
* repeated key-press fire is not possible anymore(it's 
  hard to tell if it was imagined in the original 
  version due the poor choice of controls; new
  ratio of fire is slightly faster than in the
  old version which was occurring when you hold
  down the fire key/button)
* the color of the enemy ships in mission 4 
  and 5 is different(just to make the game 
  slightly more interesting)
* spellchecked and corrected the text in the
  game(as far as I could improve it; a lot of 
  text seemed to be written in a hurry)

Add-ons:
--------
* complete redesign of non-3D game content(added 
  a menu with options and help, menu image, 
  background images during the game, new life meter, 
  replaced the PRINT statement with a custom font, 
  added fade in/ fade out effects, ...)
* added keyboard controls together with the new 
  mouse controls
* redesigned the briefing screen
* redesigned the game over screen
* added end game image/screen
* added music and sound effects
* implemented the hi-score feature


 ------------------------
|5.0.Troubleshooting/Q&A |
 ------------------------

#1 Can I take a screenshot of the game?
---------------------------------------
Yes you can by pressing S on the main menu,
on the briefing screen and during a game(while
not pausing). A screenshot will be saved
in the game's directory under screenshot#.bmp 
file and you can take as many of them you want.

#2 The game runs too fast on my PC.
-----------------------------------
This really shouldn't happen but try to 
change the game speed to 'SLOW' in options.

#3 The game runs too slow on my PC.
-----------------------------------
Try playing on fast or turbo speed.

#4 What is the optimum speed of the game?
-----------------------------------------
23 FPS. Now those of you obsessed with
ultra high FPS numbers are probably going
berserk but you can all suck a lemon. The
pixel speeds of the game objects seem to 
be optimized for this or similar FPS value. 
You can turn on/off a FPS counter by pressing F 
while playing if you like. You should get 13 
FPS for slow speed, 23 FPS for normal speed, 
33 FPS for fast and 45 for turbo speed.

#5 The mouse controls don't work properly in
--------------------------------------------
window mode.
------------
That's because mouse controls are designed so
that the ship follows the mouse cursors. In FB 
when you use its GETMOUSE statement and go 
off the program window with the cursor(in window 
mode), cursor position will be flagged as -1,-1. 
I failed to find a way to avoid this. 
Just play the game in full screen mode. I can't 
imagine someone insisting in playing the game 
both in window mode and with the mouse.

#6 Why does the ship pitch up if I pull the
-------------------------------------------
mouse up or press the up arrow key?
-----------------------------------
I know that this is not the usual way of
controlling planes or space ships but
this is a result of the game's mouse controls
from the original version and to keep the
game coherent I designed the keyboard 
controls to act the same(up pitches up, 
down pitches down).

#7 The game is too difficult.
-----------------------------
I would say tricky. There are few places in 
the game where you need to be careful with
ground collision and some "boss" structures 
are rather dugin. But with some practice 
and patience it really shouldn't be a huge
problem. I finished the game twice out 
of first try, once with the mouse and 
once with the keyboard. Beat the hi-score 
both times.

#8 I can't pause during a game.
-------------------------------
Some guy complained on my older game about
this while it featured the same thing that
Vector X 2006 features - abort option that
asks for confirmation. So if you want to
pause simply press ESC and then N(for no)
when you get back from the taking a wiz or 
whatever. :P


 ------------
|6.0.Updates |
 ------------

Version 1.0 released - 14.5.2006.
---------------------------------------
Version 1.1 released - 3.6.2006.
Notes: I've changed the delay routine
in the code with hopes than now the
game will run with optimum speed(23 FPS
on normal speed) on all the computers. 
If it doesn't work, I give up. As far 
as this game goes.
---------------------------------------


 ------------
|7.0.Contact |
 ------------

My email:lachie13@yahoo.com
My websites: http://kentauri.digitalblackie.com
             http://kentauri.digitalblackie.com/articles

Feel free to email me about anything concerning my games 
and game design in general. Comments, bug reports and such 
are welcomed.

Last known email of Dan McFadyen(from 2001): 
robotechmaster5@yahoo.com

If I misspelled your name Dan that's your fault(I copied
it from your source code).


~~~ Lachie Dazdarian, 3.6.2006.

