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0001 <?xml version="1.0" ?> 0002 <!DOCTYPE book PUBLIC "-//KDE//DTD DocBook XML V4.5-Based Variant V1.1//EN" "dtd/kdedbx45.dtd" [ 0003 <!ENTITY % addindex "IGNORE"> 0004 <!ENTITY % English "INCLUDE" > <!-- change language only here --> 0005 ]> 0006 0007 <book id="kgoldrunner" lang="&language;"> 0008 0009 <bookinfo> 0010 <title>The &kgoldrunner; Handbook</title> 0011 <authorgroup> 0012 <author> 0013 <firstname>Ian</firstname> 0014 <surname>Wadham</surname> 0015 <affiliation><address><email>iandw.au at gmail com</email></address></affiliation> 0016 </author> 0017 <author> 0018 <firstname>Marco</firstname> 0019 <surname>Krüger</surname> 0020 0021 </author> 0022 <!-- TRANS:ROLES_OF_TRANSLATORS --> 0023 </authorgroup> 0024 0025 <copyright> 0026 <year>2015</year> 0027 <holder>Ian Wadham</holder> 0028 </copyright> 0029 0030 <legalnotice>&FDLNotice;</legalnotice> 0031 0032 <date>2021-06-30</date> 0033 <releaseinfo>KDE Gear 21.04</releaseinfo> 0034 0035 <abstract> 0036 <para> 0037 &kgoldrunner;, a game of action and puzzle solving. Run through 0038 the maze, dodge your enemies, collect all the gold and climb up to the 0039 next level. <emphasis>Note:</emphasis> The rules of digging have changed 0040 slightly in this version.</para> 0041 </abstract> 0042 0043 <keywordset> 0044 <keyword>KDE</keyword> 0045 <keyword>kdegames</keyword> 0046 <keyword>game</keyword> 0047 <keyword>arcade</keyword> 0048 <keyword>strategy</keyword> 0049 <keyword>enemies</keyword> 0050 <keyword>brick</keyword> 0051 <keyword>bricks</keyword> 0052 <keyword>dig</keyword> 0053 <keyword>digging</keyword> 0054 <keyword>fall</keyword> 0055 <keyword>falls</keyword> 0056 <keyword>gold</keyword> 0057 <keyword>ladder</keyword> 0058 <keyword>ladders</keyword> 0059 <keyword>KGoldrunner</keyword> 0060 </keywordset> 0061 </bookinfo> 0062 0063 <chapter id="playing-kgoldrunner"> 0064 <title>Playing &kgoldrunner;</title> 0065 0066 <sect1 id="introduction"> 0067 <title>Introduction</title> 0068 <para> 0069 Game type: Arcade, Strategy 0070 </para> 0071 <para> 0072 Number of players: One 0073 </para> 0074 0075 <para>&kgoldrunner; is an action game where the hero 0076 runs through a maze and dodges enemies. 0077 You must guide the hero with the mouse or keyboard and collect 0078 all the gold nuggets, then you can climb up into the next level. Your 0079 enemies are also after the gold. Worse still, they are after you! They 0080 will kill you if they catch you!</para> 0081 0082 <para>The problem is you have no weapon to kill 0083 <emphasis>them</emphasis>. All you can do is run away, dig holes in 0084 the floor to trap them or lure them into some area where they cannot 0085 hurt you. After a short time a trapped enemy climbs out of his hole, 0086 but if it closes before that, he will die and reappear somewhere else. 0087 </para> 0088 0089 <para>If you have never played before, try the <quote>Tutorial</quote> 0090 game, which teaches you the rules and basic skills. Then try the 0091 <quote>Initiation</quote> game. Experts might enjoy the 0092 <quote>Challenge</quote>, <quote>Vengeance of Peter W</quote>, 0093 <quote>Count</quote> or <quote>Curse of the Mummy</quote> games, 0094 but the <quote>Initiation</quote> game has 100 levels and some are 0095 very difficult. It is a good game for achieving a High Score.</para> 0096 0097 <para>All those games use Traditional rules, which are similar to 0098 those used on early home-computers, such as the Apple II or Commodore 0099 64. The <quote>&kgoldrunner;</quote> and <quote>State of Terror</quote> 0100 games use &kgoldrunner; rules, in which the enemies run faster and have 0101 a more aggressive search strategy than in Traditional rules. See 0102 <link linkend="choice-of-rules">Choice of Rules</link> for details.</para> 0103 0104 <para>As you move to more advanced levels, you will find that 0105 &kgoldrunner; combines action, strategy, tactics and puzzle 0106 solving — all in one game. Good luck!</para> 0107 0108 </sect1> 0109 0110 <sect1 id="typical-game"> 0111 <title>A Typical Game</title> 0112 0113 <para>Below is a typical game in progress. The hero is at 0114 level 4 in the Advanced Tutorial game. The window's lower part shows 0115 how many lives he has left and how many points he has scored. It also 0116 shows that there is a hint available for this level (as there always 0117 is in tutorial games) and that the action is stopped (while taking 0118 this snapshot), but can be continued by pressing <keycap>P</keycap> or 0119 &Esc;.</para> 0120 0121 <para>The hero started at the top left, dug a hole and dropped into a 0122 line of false bricks and gold where you can now see him falling. The 0123 enemy above him will fall into the hole, then climb out and be trapped 0124 up there till the end of the level. He could cause the hero some 0125 problems then, because that is where the hidden ladders appear when 0126 all the gold is gone. The hero has to use them to get to the next 0127 level.</para> 0128 0129 <screenshot> 0130 <screeninfo>&kgoldrunner; typical game</screeninfo> 0131 <mediaobject> 0132 <imageobject><imagedata fileref="tute008.png" format="PNG"/></imageobject> 0133 <textobject><phrase>&kgoldrunner; typical game</phrase></textobject> 0134 </mediaobject> 0135 </screenshot> 0136 0137 <para>The enemy on the right is falling and carrying some gold. 0138 The third enemy is about to come down a ladder to 0139 chase the hero, who will have to dodge both enemies when he reaches 0140 the floor. This level also shows diggable bricks and undiggable 0141 concrete and has lots of traps (false bricks), which look just like 0142 ordinary bricks.</para> 0143 0144 </sect1> 0145 0146 <sect1 id="how-to-play"> 0147 <title>How To Play</title> 0148 0149 <sect2> 0150 <title>Starting the Game</title> 0151 0152 <para>&kgoldrunner; begins by showing you a recorded demonstration of play. You 0153 can terminate this by clicking on the playing area with the mouse, pressing 0154 the &Space; bar or selecting a menu item or shortcut (such as <menuchoice> 0155 <guimenu>Game</guimenu><guimenuitem>New Game...</guimenuitem></menuchoice> or 0156 <keycombo action="simul">&Ctrl;<keycap>N</keycap></keycombo>). 0157 You can skip this demonstration in future by using menu item <menuchoice> 0158 <guimenu>Settings</guimenu><guimenuitem>Demo At Start</guimenuitem> 0159 </menuchoice>. You can also see it again at any time by using menu item 0160 <menuchoice><guimenu>Move</guimenu><guimenuitem>Demo</guimenuitem></menuchoice>. 0161 </para> 0162 0163 <para>If you skipped the demo or used the mouse or &Space; bar to end it, a 0164 quick-start popup dialog shows you the names, number and a preview 0165 of the last game and level you loaded or, if you have not played before, 0166 the same information for Tutorial level 1.</para> 0167 0168 <para>Click on the <guibutton>PLAY</guibutton> button to begin playing 0169 immediately. Otherwise you can click on the <guibutton>Quit</guibutton> button, 0170 the <guibutton>New Game...</guibutton> button or the 0171 <guibutton>Use Menu</guibutton> button. The first will close &kgoldrunner;, if 0172 you do not wish to play, the second will show you a 0173 <link linkend="select-game-dialog">Select Game</link> dialog, 0174 where you can choose a different game and level and the last will terminate 0175 the dialog, leaving you free to use the &kgoldrunner; menus.</para> 0176 0177 <para>If you have chosen to play a game and level, it will then appear 0178 and the pointer will be over the hero. In a tutorial game, an 0179 explanatory message appears before each level begins. You start play 0180 by moving the pointer, clicking the mouse or pressing any key that can 0181 control the hero (⪚ &Space;), but avoid using 0182 <keycap>Q</keycap>, <keycap>S</keycap>, <keycap>P</keycap> or &Esc; at 0183 this stage. You start each level in the same way.</para> 0184 0185 <para>You have five lives at the start and gain a bonus life for each 0186 level completed.</para> 0187 0188 </sect2> 0189 0190 <sect2 id="mouse-control"> 0191 <title>Moving Around</title> 0192 0193 <para>By default you control the hero with the mouse, but you 0194 can also control him with the keyboard (<link 0195 linkend="keyboard-control">see below</link>) or, on a laptop, by using a mix 0196 of the keyboard for digging and the touchpad or other pointer device to 0197 guide the hero.</para> 0198 0199 <para>The hero moves towards wherever you place the pointer. He 0200 cannot move as fast as you 0201 can move the pointer, but he will try hard to catch up. If the 0202 pointer is above or below his level, he will always go up or down when 0203 there is a ladder available or a place to fall into. Otherwise he will 0204 move horizontally until he is below the pointer, above it or right 0205 at it. You can make him follow simple paths (like — | L or U), but 0206 be careful not to get too many twists and turns ahead of him.</para> 0207 0208 <para>You can move left or right over bricks, concrete, ladders or 0209 bars and up or down over ladders. If you are on an empty square or a 0210 gold nugget and there is no brick, concrete, ladder or bar to hold you 0211 up, gravity takes over and you fall. You can also fall by moving down 0212 from a bar or the bottom of a ladder, so keep the pointer up 0213 there if you want to hold on.</para> 0214 0215 </sect2> 0216 0217 <sect2 id="keyboard-control"> 0218 <title>Keyboard Control</title> 0219 0220 <para>If you prefer, you can use the keyboard to control the hero. The 0221 default keys are the arrow keys and <keycap>I</keycap>, 0222 <keycap>J</keycap>, <keycap>K</keycap> and <keycap>L</keycap> (in 0223 honor of the original Apple II game), with the keys 0224 <keycap>Z</keycap> and <keycap>C</keycap> or <keycap>U</keycap> and 0225 <keycap>O</keycap> for digging. You can play one-handed by using 0226 <keycap>U</keycap>, <keycap>I</keycap>, <keycap>O</keycap>, 0227 <keycap>J</keycap>, <keycap>K</keycap>, <keycap>L</keycap> and 0228 &Space; (on a <quote>QWERTY</quote> keyboard) or 0229 two-handed by using the arrow keys, &Space;, 0230 <keycap>Z</keycap> and <keycap>C</keycap>. You can also choose other 0231 keys, on the <menuchoice><guimenu>Settings</guimenu> 0232 <guimenuitem>Configure Shortcuts...</guimenuitem></menuchoice> menu item.</para> 0233 0234 <para>You enter keyboard mode by pressing one of the keys that can 0235 control the hero or by selecting the <menuchoice><guimenu>Settings</guimenu> 0236 <guimenuitem>Keyboard Controls Hero</guimenuitem></menuchoice> menu item.</para> 0237 0238 <para>The movement keys (<keycap>I</keycap>, <keycap>J</keycap>, 0239 <keycap>K</keycap>, <keycap>L</keycap> or arrows) start the hero 0240 moving up, down, left or right. He continues moving in that direction, 0241 if he can, until you press another movement key or 0242 &Space; to stop. In mouse or laptop mode, he stops 0243 automatically when he gets to the pointer.</para> 0244 0245 <para>A word of warning: using the keyboard is much harder, in the 0246 long run, than using the mouse. Think of the mouse as a 0247 joystick.</para> 0248 0249 </sect2> 0250 0251 <sect2 id="pausing"> 0252 <title>Taking a Break</title> 0253 0254 <para>You can stop the game at any time by pressing a Pause key 0255 (the default is either <keycap>P</keycap> or &Esc;). You can resume 0256 by pressing the Pause key again. There is also a 0257 <menuchoice><guimenu>Game</guimenu> <guimenuitem>Pause</guimenuitem></menuchoice> 0258 menu item, but the problem is to get the pointer up there without moving 0259 the hero and getting into trouble.</para> 0260 0261 <tip><para>When you want to use the &kgoldrunner; menu or do 0262 some work in another window, always press a Pause key and stop the 0263 game. Otherwise the hero will go on following the pointer and 0264 might get into trouble.</para></tip> 0265 0266 </sect2> 0267 0268 <sect2 id="winning"> 0269 <title>Winning a Level</title> 0270 0271 <para>The object of the game is to collect all the gold, by moving or 0272 falling onto it. When there is none left, you must move to the top of 0273 the playing area to get to the next level. Often, as you collect the 0274 last piece of gold, hidden ladders will appear and you can use them to 0275 climb to the top. Sometimes there are no hidden ladders. Also, very 0276 rarely, the hidden ladders could be a decoy that leads the wrong way. If 0277 the level has no gold, there will be no hidden ladders and you just have 0278 to work out how to get to the top of the playing area.</para> 0279 0280 </sect2> 0281 0282 <sect2 id="false-bricks"> 0283 <title>Beware of False Bricks</title> 0284 0285 <para>False bricks, otherwise known as fall-through bricks or traps, 0286 are the other hidden feature of the game. They look just like ordinary 0287 bricks, but if you run over one you fall. This can be bad if there is 0288 an enemy or a pit down there, or good if there is some gold.</para> 0289 0290 </sect2> 0291 0292 <sect2 id="enemies"> 0293 <title>Enemies</title> 0294 0295 <para>Enemies move in very much the same way as the hero. The main 0296 difference is when they fall into a hole the hero has dug (see <link 0297 linkend="importance-of-digging">The Importance of Digging</link> below). 0298 </para> 0299 <para> 0300 They will pick up gold either always or at random, depending on the game 0301 settings, and will drop gold at random on brick, concrete or the top 0302 of a ladder. If an enemy is carrying the last piece of gold, you must 0303 get it away from him before you can finish the level.</para> 0304 0305 <para>If an enemy touches you, you die and must start the level again, 0306 provided you have some lives left. However, it is possible to walk or 0307 stand on an enemy's head and you can ride an enemy down when he is 0308 falling. Some advanced levels require such a move.</para> 0309 0310 </sect2> 0311 0312 <sect2 id="losing-a-level"> 0313 <title>Losing a Level</title> 0314 0315 <para>As explained above, you can lose a level and a life by touching 0316 an enemy. You can also lose by getting caught in a dug brick when it 0317 closes. Otherwise you can commit suicide by pressing key 0318 <keycap>Q</keycap> or using the <menuchoice><guimenu>Game</guimenu> 0319 <guimenuitem>Kill Hero</guimenuitem></menuchoice> menu item. Why would 0320 you want to do that? Well, sometimes you can get trapped in a place from 0321 which you cannot escape. You will stay imprisoned for ever unless you 0322 commit suicide!</para> 0323 0324 </sect2> 0325 0326 <sect2 id="importance-of-digging"> 0327 <title>The Importance of Digging</title> 0328 0329 <para>Digging is one of the most powerful tactics you have. To dig a 0330 hole in a brick to the left or right, just click the 0331 <mousebutton>Left</mousebutton> or <mousebutton>Right</mousebutton> 0332 mouse button, or use one of the digging keys (defaults 0333 <keycap>Z</keycap>, <keycap>C</keycap>, <keycap>U</keycap>, 0334 <keycap>O</keycap>.)</para> 0335 0336 <para>You can dodge an oncoming enemy by digging a hole, waiting for 0337 him to fall in and then running quickly over his head. At the same 0338 time you can collect any gold he was carrying. Usually you can dig two 0339 holes to capture and run over two enemies who are close together, but 0340 this rarely works if the enemies are separated or there are more than 0341 two of them.</para> 0342 0343 <para>You can kill enemies by digging enough holes in their path. It 0344 usually takes two or more holes to kill one enemy and up to eight or 0345 more holes to kill four or five. When enemies die, they reappear 0346 immediately, either where they started the level or near the top of 0347 the playing area, depending on whether the game follows 0348 <quote>&kgoldrunner;</quote> or <quote>Traditional</quote> rules and 0349 settings (see <link linkend="choice-of-rules">Choice of Rules</link>).</para> 0350 0351 <para>Finally, in many levels the gold is not immediately accessible and 0352 you must dig to get to it. Some of these digging puzzles are quite complex 0353 and you must work out a digging sequence then perform it in limited time 0354 before you can complete the level.</para> 0355 0356 </sect2> 0357 0358 <sect2 id="rules-of-digging"> 0359 <title>The Rules of Digging</title> 0360 0361 <para>You click the <mousebutton>Left</mousebutton> or 0362 <mousebutton>Right</mousebutton> mouse button, to dig a hole to the 0363 left or right, or use the <keycap>Z</keycap>, <keycap>C</keycap>, 0364 <keycap>U</keycap> or <keycap>O</keycap> keys.</para> 0365 0366 <para>Only bricks can be dug, not anything else. The hole will appear 0367 in the floor on one side or the other (&ie; below and to the left or 0368 right of the hero). There must be an empty space or hole above the 0369 brick (&ie; no digging under a ladder, bar, gold, brick, concrete or 0370 false brick). You can be running, standing or riding down on a falling 0371 enemy when you dig. Digging while falling through thin air or false 0372 bricks is allowed in some games but not others. See 0373 <link linkend="dig-while-falling">Digging while Falling</link> below.</para> 0374 0375 <para>The hero can move in any direction through dug holes, including 0376 falling right through a hole to escape an enemy. After a short time, 0377 dug holes close up, so you must use them quickly. Plan your digging in 0378 advance. There is no time to stop and think while you dig.</para> 0379 0380 <para>Enemies are always captured if they fall into a dug hole and 0381 will always climb UP to get out of it. Their time in the hole is less 0382 than the time the hole stays open, so to kill enemies you usually have 0383 to dig several holes in quick succession. Enemies always give up gold 0384 as they fall into a hole, so you can quickly run onto the enemy's head 0385 and grab the gold before he climbs out.</para> 0386 0387 <para>Enemies will never fall down through a hole from above, but 0388 depending on the game rules and <guimenu>Settings</guimenu> 0389 (see <link linkend="choice-of-rules">Choice of Rules</link>), they can 0390 run horizontally into a dug hole and not be captured and can fall from 0391 there or run into another hole or run out of the hole. Several levels 0392 that follow <quote>Traditional</quote> rules depend on an enemy being 0393 able to run through a hole. Some levels that follow 0394 <quote>&kgoldrunner;</quote> rules depend on an enemy NOT being 0395 able to run through a hole.</para> 0396 0397 </sect2> 0398 0399 <sect2 id="dig-while-falling"> 0400 <title>Digging while Falling</title> 0401 0402 <para>In the original game on Apple II and Commodore 64, the hero had to be 0403 supported on something solid when digging: a ladder, concrete, a brick, a 0404 bar --- or an enemy's head. This rule was overlooked in &kgoldrunner; and one 0405 day the author's son discovered that you could dig while falling! He 0406 immediately composed a level to exploit this. Other game composers 0407 have now done the same. You have to dig while falling in recent 0408 games of Championship skill such as <quote>State of Terror</quote>, 0409 <quote>Curse of the Mummy</quote> and <quote>Gold Rush</quote>.</para> 0410 0411 <para>On the other hand, digging while falling makes older games too easy. 0412 So, as of December 2015, it is forbidden in the <quote>Tutorial</quote>, 0413 <quote>Advanced Tutorial</quote>, <quote>Initiation</quote>, 0414 <quote>&kgoldrunner;</quote> and <quote>Challenge</quote> games. The 0415 <quote>Vengeance of Peter W</quote> game allows it in just one level 0416 and the new <quote>Beginner's Luck</quote> game, which is aimed at 0417 first time players, does not allow it.</para> 0418 0419 </sect2> 0420 0421 <sect2 id="winning-and-losing-the-game"> 0422 <title>Winning and Losing the Game</title> 0423 0424 <para>You win by completing the last level in the game. You lose when 0425 your last life is gone. Either way, if you have achieved one of the 0426 ten highest scores for that game, you can record your achievement in 0427 the <quote>&kgoldrunner; Hall of Fame</quote>.</para> 0428 0429 </sect2> 0430 0431 <sect2 id="recordings-replays-and-solutions"> 0432 <title>Recordings, Replays and Solutions</title> 0433 0434 <para>All levels in games are recorded as you play, so you can replay any level 0435 you have previously played. Also, some levels have recorded solutions, which 0436 may help you work out how to win them. Just use the <guimenu>Move</guimenu> 0437 menu and the <guimenuitem>Show a Solution</guimenuitem>, 0438 <guimenuitem>Instant Replay</guimenuitem>, 0439 <guimenuitem>Replay Last Level</guimenuitem> and 0440 <guimenuitem>Replay Any Level</guimenuitem> options. The 0441 solutions and replays can be interrupted at any time by clicking with 0442 the mouse on the playing area, pressing the &Space; bar or selecting a menu 0443 item or shortcut (such as <menuchoice><guimenu>Game</guimenu> 0444 <guimenuitem>New Game...</guimenuitem></menuchoice> or <keycombo 0445 action="simul">&Ctrl;<keycap>N</keycap></keycombo>).</para> 0446 0447 <para><guimenuitem>Instant Replay</guimenuitem> and 0448 <guimenuitem>Replay Last Level</guimenuitem> let you continue playing 0449 after an interruption. So if things are not going well, you can use 0450 <guimenuitem>Instant Replay</guimenuitem>, interrupt the replay at some point 0451 and then try another approach. Or if the hero died already, you can use 0452 <guimenuitem>Replay Last Level</guimenuitem> 0453 in the same way. These features can help you build up a solution to a 0454 difficult level in stages, but using them will invalidate any high score 0455 you might be working on.</para> 0456 0457 </sect2> 0458 </sect1> 0459 0460 <sect1 id="scoring"> 0461 <title>Scoring</title> 0462 0463 <itemizedlist> 0464 <listitem> 0465 <para>Start with 5 lives</para> 0466 </listitem> 0467 <listitem> 0468 <para>Lose a life and repeat a level when the hero dies</para> 0469 </listitem> 0470 <listitem> 0471 <para>Gain a life when you complete a level</para> 0472 </listitem> 0473 <listitem> 0474 <para>75 points for trapping an enemy</para> 0475 </listitem> 0476 <listitem> 0477 <para>75 points for killing an enemy</para> 0478 </listitem> 0479 <listitem> 0480 <para>250 points for collecting gold</para> 0481 </listitem> 0482 <listitem> 0483 <para>1500 points for completing a level</para> 0484 </listitem> 0485 </itemizedlist> 0486 0487 </sect1> 0488 0489 <sect1 id="choice-of-rules"> 0490 <title>Choice of Rules</title> 0491 0492 <para>Most of the rules of &kgoldrunner; are covered in the section 0493 <link linkend="how-to-play">How to Play</link>, however there are two 0494 major rule settings that affect the style of play: known as 0495 <quote>Traditional</quote> and <quote>&kgoldrunner;</quote>. It is 0496 important to know which settings are in force when you are playing a 0497 game. &kgoldrunner; automatically chooses the correct settings for 0498 a game when you play one of its levels and the rules for each game are 0499 shown in the <link linkend="select-game-dialog">Select Game</link> 0500 dialog.</para> 0501 0502 <para>The main difference between <quote>Traditional</quote> and 0503 <quote>&kgoldrunner;</quote> settings is the method by which the 0504 enemies choose a path to the hero.</para> 0505 0506 <itemizedlist> 0507 <listitem> 0508 <para>In the <quote>Traditional</quote> search method, enemies look 0509 for vertical paths (ladders and falls) and they try to stay higher than the 0510 hero or at the same height. They go below him only as a last 0511 resort. The enemies make no attempt to chase the hero in the 0512 horizontal direction until they are at the same height and can find a 0513 horizontal path. This leads to situations where you can 0514 <quote>control</quote> enemies who are far away from you and make them 0515 work for you or at least keep out of your hair.</para> 0516 </listitem> 0517 <listitem> 0518 <para>The <quote>&kgoldrunner;</quote> method searches alternately for 0519 horizontal and vertical paths, which tends to keep the enemies over 0520 your side of the playing area and at about the same height (&ie; they 0521 are more aggressive and not so easy to manipulate). That leads to a 0522 more action-packed game, but with less opportunity for strategy and 0523 puzzle-solving. However the <quote>State of Terror</quote> game, added in 2007, 0524 uses <quote>&kgoldrunner;</quote> rules and has plenty of puzzles to 0525 solve while you are on the run. That is why it is such a difficult game.</para> 0526 </listitem> 0527 </itemizedlist> 0528 0529 <para>The other differences are listed below:</para> 0530 0531 <itemizedlist> 0532 <listitem> 0533 <para>In <quote>&kgoldrunner;</quote> play, the hero and enemies move 0534 at fixed speeds in every level and bricks always take the same time to 0535 close. In <quote>Traditional</quote> play, the game speed depends on 0536 the number of enemies in a level. The more enemies, the slower they 0537 run. The hero also becomes slower, but not so noticeably.</para> 0538 </listitem> 0539 <listitem> 0540 <para>In <quote>Traditional</quote> play, enemies always collect gold 0541 nuggets when they run into them. In <quote>&kgoldrunner;</quote> play, 0542 it is a random choice. The enemies drop nuggets after a random time in 0543 both types of play.</para> 0544 </listitem> 0545 <listitem> 0546 <para>Enemies can run horizontally through holes in 0547 <quote>Traditional</quote> play but not in 0548 <quote>&kgoldrunner;</quote> play. The trick in several 0549 <quote>Traditional</quote> levels depends on releasing an enemy from 0550 behind a brick wall. When you dig away the bricks, he runs out through 0551 the hole. In some <quote>&kgoldrunner;</quote> levels, on the other 0552 hand, you must hide inside or behind a dug brick to escape an enemy.</para> 0553 </listitem> 0554 <listitem> 0555 <para>When enemies die in <quote>&kgoldrunner;</quote> play, they go 0556 back to where they started the level. In <quote>Traditional</quote> 0557 play, they reappear at a random place near the top of the playing 0558 area. This makes a big difference, especially in levels where you have 0559 to get enemies to fetch nuggets down for you, but also because the 0560 enemies keep falling down onto you as fast as you can kill 0561 them.</para> 0562 </listitem> 0563 </itemizedlist> 0564 0565 </sect1> 0566 </chapter> 0567 0568 <chapter id="select-game-dialog"> 0569 <title>The Select Game Dialog</title> 0570 0571 <sect1 id="select-game-dialog-box"> 0572 <title>Using the Select Game Dialog</title> 0573 <screenshot> 0574 <screeninfo>The Select Game dialog</screeninfo> 0575 <mediaobject> 0576 <imageobject> 0577 <imagedata fileref="select.png" format="PNG" /> 0578 </imageobject> 0579 <textobject> 0580 <phrase>The Select Game dialog</phrase> 0581 </textobject> 0582 </mediaobject> 0583 </screenshot> 0584 0585 <para>This dialog appears when you select the <guimenuitem>New Game...</guimenuitem> 0586 action and also when you select options from the <guimenu>Editor</guimenu> 0587 menu or any replay option from the <guimenu>Move</guimenu> menu. You use 0588 it to choose a game and a level to play, replay, edit, save, 0589 move, re-number or delete. The main button at the bottom is the 0590 <guibutton>OK</guibutton> button. Its label changes according to what 0591 you are doing: in this case choosing a game and level to play.</para> 0592 0593 <sect2 id="selecting-a-game"> 0594 <title>Selecting a Game</title> 0595 0596 <para>There are several <quote>System</quote> games that come with the 0597 &kgoldrunner; release and you can add your own games by using the editor. 0598 All these games appear in the list at the top of the dialog, grouped by 0599 level of difficulty. The tutorial games appear last in the list and the 0600 games of normal skill appear first. To select one of the games, just 0601 click on its name.</para> 0602 0603 <para>The list shows what rule settings apply to each game (see 0604 <link linkend="choice-of-rules">Choice of Rules</link>) and how many levels 0605 there are. When you select a game, a box lower down the screen shows 0606 you further information about that game.</para> 0607 0608 </sect2> 0609 0610 <sect2 id="selecting-a-level"> 0611 <title>Selecting a Level</title> 0612 0613 <para>You can choose to start a game at any level, but it is best to start 0614 at level 1 and work up, especially if you are going for a high score. In 0615 general, the higher numbered levels are more difficult.</para> 0616 0617 <para>When you start the <guilabel>Select Game</guilabel> dialog, the default level will 0618 be something reasonable, such as the last level you played or edited. 0619 You can select another level by using the spinbox arrows, by typing the 0620 level number into the spinbox or by moving the slider. The arrows at 0621 the ends of the slider increase or decrease the number by one. Also 0622 you can drag the slider with the &LMB; held down and change 0623 the level number rapidly. Or you can change the level number in steps of 10 0624 by clicking in the space above or below the slider handle.</para> 0625 0626 <para>As the level number changes, a preview of the level appears in the 0627 small preview window and the level's name (if it has one) also appears.</para> 0628 0629 </sect2> 0630 0631 <sect2 id="completing-selection"> 0632 <title>Completing your Selection</title> 0633 0634 <para>When you have chosen a game and level, just click the main 0635 button at the bottom and proceed with your edit, play or replay.</para> 0636 0637 <para>Until you do that, nothing changes, so you can always click 0638 <guibutton>Cancel</guibutton> and go back to what you were doing 0639 earlier. Note that the game action is frozen while the dialog 0640 is active, so you can continue playing where you left off if you 0641 choose <guibutton>Cancel</guibutton>.</para> 0642 0643 </sect2> 0644 0645 <sect2 id="saving-changes"> 0646 <title>Saving Changes</title> 0647 0648 <para>If you select an option on the <guimenu>Game</guimenu>, 0649 <guimenu>Editor</guimenu> or <guimenu>Move</guimenu> menus and you were 0650 previously editing and had 0651 not saved your changes, you will get a message asking you to save, 0652 abandon or continue your work. Neither the new action nor its dialog will 0653 begin until you have made a decision about your previous work.</para> 0654 0655 </sect2> 0656 0657 <sect2 id="any-level"> 0658 <title>Playing or Editing <quote>Any</quote> Level</title> 0659 0660 <para>Note that the menus and dialog allow you to select and play or edit 0661 <quote>any</quote> level. If you start a game after level 1, that is 0662 OK, you will just not get such a high score. Dedicated players often 0663 prefer to play high-numbered levels for fun, rather than go for a high 0664 score, or they might like to <quote>train</quote> on higher levels 0665 before attempting a high score.</para> 0666 0667 <para>If you select a System level for editing, that is OK too, but 0668 you must save it in one of your own games: not back in the System 0669 game. For example you might want to modify a very difficult level so that 0670 you do not go back to the start of the level every time you die.</para> 0671 0672 <para>To see what this means, try the <quote>Challenge</quote> game, 0673 level 16, <quote>The Three Musketeers</quote>. That level has about 0674 ten difficult puzzles in it. When you have solved puzzle 1, you do not 0675 want to keep repeating it while you work on puzzle 2. The secret is to 0676 make an editable copy, then keep updating it and changing the hero's 0677 starting point, until you have solved all the puzzles. Then you can 0678 go back and attempt the real thing, from start to finish.</para> 0679 0680 </sect2> 0681 </sect1> 0682 </chapter> 0683 0684 <chapter id="menu-reference"> 0685 <title>The Menu Reference</title> 0686 0687 <sect1 id="menu-overview"> 0688 <title>Overview of Menus</title> 0689 0690 <variablelist> 0691 <varlistentry> 0692 <term><link linkend="game-menu"><guimenu>Game</guimenu></link></term> 0693 <listitem> 0694 <para>This menu contains options affecting game play, such as starting 0695 and finishing games, saving games, loading saved games and showing high 0696 scores (if available). Also contains the <guimenuitem>Quit</guimenuitem> 0697 option, or you can quit by clicking the <guiicon>X</guiicon> at the top 0698 right of the &kgoldrunner; window.</para> 0699 </listitem> 0700 </varlistentry> 0701 0702 <varlistentry> 0703 <term><link linkend="move-menu"><guimenu>Move</guimenu></link></term> 0704 <listitem> 0705 <para>This menu contains an option to get a hint (if there is one). 0706 Championship and Tutorial games have hints on every level. Other games 0707 rarely have hints. It also contains options to replay recordings of 0708 play, as when running demonstrations, showing examples of solutions and 0709 replaying your own efforts.</para> 0710 </listitem> 0711 </varlistentry> 0712 0713 <varlistentry> 0714 <term><link linkend="view-menu"><guimenu>View</guimenu></link></term> 0715 <listitem> 0716 <para>This menu contains an option to alternate the full screen mode.</para> 0717 </listitem> 0718 </varlistentry> 0719 0720 <varlistentry> 0721 <term><link 0722 linkend="editor-menu"><guimenu>Editor</guimenu></link></term> 0723 <listitem> 0724 <para>This menu has everything you need to create your own games and 0725 levels and maintain them, including features to help you re-order levels 0726 or move them between games or to delete them when no longer needed. When 0727 you reorganize your levels, the level numbers in your game remain 0728 consecutive (no gaps) and the levels are automatically 0729 renumbered.</para> 0730 <para>When you are using the Game Editor a graphical toolbar with tool 0731 tip text appears under the menu bar. See the <link 0732 linkend="game-editor">Game Editor</link> for more details of how to 0733 create and edit &kgoldrunner; levels.</para> </listitem> 0734 </varlistentry> 0735 0736 <varlistentry> 0737 <term><link 0738 linkend="settings-menu"><guimenu>Settings</guimenu></link></term> 0739 <listitem> 0740 <para>This menu has several groups of &kgoldrunner; settings, including the 0741 choice of mouse, keyboard or hybrid (laptop) control and the choices of themes and 0742 game-speed. The current selections are checked. The settings are automatically 0743 selected when you start playing, but you can use this menu to vary them 0744 if you wish.</para> 0745 0746 <para>There is also an option to re-assign keyboard shortcuts and 0747 hero-control keys.</para> 0748 </listitem> 0749 </varlistentry> 0750 0751 <varlistentry> 0752 <term><link linkend="help-menu"><guimenu>Help</guimenu></link></term> 0753 <listitem> 0754 <para>The <guimenu>Help</guimenu> menu contains access to the 0755 &kgoldrunner; Handbook (this document), <guimenuitem>About 0756 &kgoldrunner;</guimenuitem> and <guimenuitem>About &kde;</guimenuitem> options.</para> 0757 <para>There is also an option to report a Bug or Wishlist item.</para> 0758 <para>If you would like to make a suggestion or you have some new levels 0759 to contribute, the current author's email address is in the 0760 <guimenuitem>About &kgoldrunner;</guimenuitem> option.</para> 0761 </listitem> 0762 </varlistentry> 0763 </variablelist> 0764 0765 </sect1> 0766 0767 <sect1 id="game-menu"> 0768 <title>The Game Menu</title> 0769 0770 <variablelist> 0771 <varlistentry> 0772 <term><menuchoice> 0773 <shortcut><keycombo action="simul">&Ctrl;<keycap>N</keycap></keycombo></shortcut> 0774 <guimenu>Game</guimenu><guimenuitem>New Game...</guimenuitem> 0775 </menuchoice> 0776 </term> 0777 <listitem> 0778 <para>Shows the <guilabel>Select Game</guilabel> dialog (see 0779 <link linkend="select-game-dialog-box"> 0780 Using the Select Game Dialog</link>), where you choose a game 0781 and a level within that game. At first it is easiest to start at level 1, 0782 because the levels are arranged approximately in order of difficulty. 0783 Also it is best to start there if you are going for a high score.</para> 0784 </listitem> 0785 </varlistentry> 0786 0787 <varlistentry> 0788 <term><menuchoice> 0789 <shortcut><keycombo action="simul">&Ctrl;<keycap>O</keycap></keycombo></shortcut> 0790 <guimenu>Game</guimenu><guimenuitem>Load Saved Game...</guimenuitem> 0791 </menuchoice> 0792 </term> 0793 <listitem> 0794 <para>Brings up a table of previously saved games, sorted with the 0795 latest first. Each line lists the game, level, number of lives, score, 0796 day of week, date and time. If you select a line and click the 0797 <guibutton>OK</guibutton> button, that game starts at the beginning of 0798 that level, with the lives and score you saved.</para> 0799 </listitem> 0800 </varlistentry> 0801 0802 <varlistentry> 0803 <term><menuchoice><shortcut><keycap>Y</keycap></shortcut> 0804 <guimenu>Game</guimenu><guimenuitem>Play Next Level</guimenuitem> 0805 </menuchoice> 0806 </term> 0807 <listitem> 0808 <para>Loads the next level in the current game, ready to play and without 0809 any further dialog. You can use this to browse quickly through the levels 0810 of a game.</para> 0811 </listitem> 0812 </varlistentry> 0813 0814 <varlistentry> 0815 <term><menuchoice><shortcut><keycap>S</keycap></shortcut> 0816 <guimenu>Game</guimenu><guimenuitem>Save Game...</guimenuitem> 0817 </menuchoice> 0818 </term> 0819 <listitem> 0820 <para>Saves the current game, level, lives and 0821 score. The option will only save the position and score as at the start 0822 of the current level. You can save when you are mid-way through a 0823 level, but &kgoldrunner; will still save the position (and score) as it 0824 was at the start of the level. You will receive a warning message about 0825 that. Before using this option, you should press a Pause key 0826 (<keycap>P</keycap> or &Esc;), to freeze the game as you move the mouse, 0827 but it is much easier to use the <keycap>S</keycap> key as a 0828 shortcut.</para> 0829 </listitem> 0830 </varlistentry> 0831 0832 <varlistentry> 0833 <term><menuchoice><shortcut> 0834 <keycombo action="simul">&Ctrl;<keycap>S</keycap></keycombo></shortcut> 0835 <guimenu>Game</guimenu><guimenuitem>Save Edits...</guimenuitem> 0836 </menuchoice> 0837 </term> 0838 <listitem><para>This option is enabled only if you have been using 0839 the Game Editor. It brings up the <guilabel>Select Game</guilabel> dialog and lets 0840 you choose a level number and game in which to save your work. Its 0841 action is exactly the same as the <menuchoice><guimenu>Editor</guimenu> 0842 <guimenuitem>Save Edits...</guimenuitem></menuchoice> menu item and 0843 the <guiicon>disk</guiicon> icon on the Editor toolbar.</para> 0844 </listitem> 0845 </varlistentry> 0846 0847 <varlistentry> 0848 <term><menuchoice><shortcut> 0849 <keycombo action="simul">&Shift;<keycap>S</keycap></keycombo></shortcut> 0850 <guimenu>Game</guimenu><guimenuitem>Save a Solution...</guimenuitem> 0851 </menuchoice> 0852 </term> 0853 <listitem><para>Save a solution for a level into a file called 0854 <quote><filename>sol_<replaceable>prefix</replaceable>.txt</filename></quote> 0855 in your user's data directory.</para> 0856 </listitem> 0857 </varlistentry> 0858 0859 <varlistentry> 0860 <term><menuchoice> 0861 <shortcut><keycap>P or &Esc;</keycap></shortcut> 0862 <guimenu>Game</guimenu><guimenuitem>Pause</guimenuitem> 0863 </menuchoice> 0864 </term> 0865 <listitem> 0866 <para>Stops or restarts the game action.</para> 0867 </listitem> 0868 </varlistentry> 0869 0870 <varlistentry> 0871 <term><menuchoice><shortcut> 0872 <keycombo action="simul">&Ctrl;<keycap>H</keycap></keycombo></shortcut> 0873 <guimenu>Game</guimenu><guimenuitem>Show High Scores...</guimenuitem> 0874 </menuchoice> 0875 </term> 0876 <listitem> 0877 <para>Shows a table of up to ten high scores for the currently selected 0878 game. Each line shows the player's rank and name, the level reached, 0879 the score achieved, the day of the week and the date.</para> 0880 </listitem> 0881 </varlistentry> 0882 0883 <varlistentry> 0884 <term><menuchoice><shortcut><keycap>Q</keycap></shortcut> 0885 <guimenu>Game</guimenu><guimenuitem>Kill Hero</guimenuitem> 0886 </menuchoice> 0887 </term> 0888 <listitem> 0889 <para>Kills the hero when he is in a position from which he cannot 0890 escape.</para> 0891 </listitem> 0892 </varlistentry> 0893 0894 <varlistentry> 0895 <term><menuchoice><shortcut> 0896 <keycombo action="simul">&Ctrl;<keycap>Q</keycap></keycombo></shortcut> 0897 <guimenu>Game</guimenu><guimenuitem>Quit</guimenuitem> 0898 </menuchoice> 0899 </term> 0900 <listitem> 0901 <para>Terminates &kgoldrunner; immediately. If a game is in 0902 progress, it disappears forever (unless you have just saved it) and 0903 there is no check for a high score. If you were editing a level, you 0904 are given an opportunity to save your work.</para> 0905 </listitem> 0906 </varlistentry> 0907 0908 </variablelist> 0909 0910 </sect1> 0911 0912 <sect1 id="move-menu"> 0913 <title>The Move Menu</title> 0914 0915 <tip><para>All the demo and replay moves will replay previously recorded 0916 levels. All can be interrupted and stopped by clicking on the playing area 0917 with the mouse, pressing the &Space; bar or selecting a menu item or shortcut 0918 (such as <menuchoice><guimenu>Game</guimenu> 0919 <guimenuitem>New Game...</guimenuitem></menuchoice> or <keycombo 0920 action="simul">&Ctrl;<keycap>N</keycap></keycombo>).</para></tip> 0921 0922 <variablelist> 0923 <varlistentry> 0924 <term><menuchoice><shortcut><keycap>H</keycap></shortcut> 0925 <guimenu>Move</guimenu><guimenuitem>Hint</guimenuitem> 0926 </menuchoice> 0927 </term> 0928 <listitem> 0929 <para>Shows a popup hint, if there is one for the level being played. 0930 By convention, Championship and Tutorial games have hints on every level. 0931 Other games rarely have hints. The lower part of the &kgoldrunner; window shows whether a hint is 0932 available or not.</para> 0933 </listitem> 0934 </varlistentry> 0935 0936 <varlistentry> 0937 <term><menuchoice><shortcut><keycap>D</keycap></shortcut> 0938 <guimenu>Move</guimenu><guimenuitem>Demo</guimenuitem> 0939 </menuchoice> 0940 </term> 0941 <listitem> 0942 <para>Plays a demonstration of play in a few recorded levels. These are 0943 the same as in the startup demo.</para> 0944 </listitem> 0945 </varlistentry> 0946 0947 <varlistentry> 0948 <term><menuchoice> 0949 <guimenu>Move</guimenu><guimenuitem>Show a Solution</guimenuitem> 0950 </menuchoice> 0951 </term> 0952 <listitem> 0953 <para>Replays a recorded solution of a level, if there is a solution on 0954 file in the released game-data.</para> 0955 </listitem> 0956 </varlistentry> 0957 0958 <varlistentry> 0959 <term><menuchoice><shortcut><keycap>R</keycap></shortcut> 0960 <guimenu>Move</guimenu><guimenuitem>Instant Replay</guimenuitem> 0961 </menuchoice> 0962 </term> 0963 <listitem> 0964 <para>Stops play in the current level and replays the recorded version from 0965 the beginning. If you interrupt the replay, you can continue playing from 0966 that point and try another approach. You can use this feature to build up 0967 a winning sequence of moves in stages, but that will invalidate any high 0968 score you might be working on.</para> 0969 </listitem> 0970 </varlistentry> 0971 0972 <varlistentry> 0973 <term><menuchoice><shortcut><keycap>A</keycap></shortcut> 0974 <guimenu>Move</guimenu><guimenuitem>Replay Last Level</guimenuitem> 0975 </menuchoice> 0976 </term> 0977 <listitem> 0978 <para>Replays the recorded version of the last level you played, from 0979 the beginning (⪚ if you lost the level). If you interrupt the 0980 replay, you can continue playing from that point and try another 0981 approach. You can use this feature to build up a winning sequence of moves 0982 in stages, but that will invalidate any high score you might be working 0983 on.</para> 0984 </listitem> 0985 </varlistentry> 0986 0987 <varlistentry> 0988 <term><menuchoice> 0989 <guimenu>Move</guimenu><guimenuitem>Replay Any Level</guimenuitem> 0990 </menuchoice> 0991 </term> 0992 <listitem> 0993 <para>Replays the recorded version of any level you have previously played. 0994 </para> 0995 </listitem> 0996 </varlistentry> 0997 0998 </variablelist> 0999 1000 </sect1> 1001 1002 <sect1 id="view-menu"> 1003 <title>The View Menu</title> 1004 1005 <variablelist> 1006 <varlistentry> 1007 <term><menuchoice> 1008 <shortcut> 1009 <keycombo action="simul">&Ctrl;&Shift;<keycap>F</keycap></keycombo> 1010 </shortcut> 1011 <guimenu>View</guimenu> 1012 <guimenuitem>Full Screen Mode</guimenuitem> 1013 </menuchoice></term> 1014 <listitem><para><action>Toggles the Full Screen mode</action> on and off. 1015 </para></listitem> 1016 </varlistentry> 1017 1018 </variablelist> 1019 1020 </sect1> 1021 1022 <sect1 id="editor-menu"> 1023 <title>The Editor Menu</title> 1024 1025 <variablelist> 1026 <varlistentry> 1027 <term><menuchoice> 1028 <guimenu>Editor</guimenu><guimenuitem>Create Level</guimenuitem> 1029 </menuchoice> 1030 </term> 1031 <listitem> 1032 <para>Shows the Editor toolbar and a blank playing area 1033 on which you can draw a new level. When done, use the 1034 <guimenuitem>Save Edits...</guimenuitem> option to assign the new level to a game 1035 and level number.</para> 1036 </listitem> 1037 </varlistentry> 1038 1039 <varlistentry> 1040 <term><menuchoice> 1041 <guimenu>Editor</guimenu><guimenuitem>Edit Level...</guimenuitem> 1042 </menuchoice> 1043 </term> 1044 <listitem> 1045 <para>Shows the <guilabel>Select Game</guilabel> dialog, where 1046 you choose a game and level to edit. You can choose a System game and 1047 level, but you get a warning that you can only save the edited level 1048 in one of your own games.</para> 1049 </listitem> 1050 </varlistentry> 1051 1052 <varlistentry> 1053 <term><menuchoice><shortcut> 1054 <keycombo action="simul">&Ctrl;<keycap>S</keycap></keycombo></shortcut> 1055 <guimenu>Editor</guimenu><guimenuitem>Save Edits...</guimenuitem> 1056 </menuchoice> 1057 </term> 1058 <listitem> 1059 <para>Shows the <guilabel>Select Game</guilabel> dialog with 1060 appropriate default settings for saving a new or edited level. You can 1061 change the game and level number and achieve a <quote>Save As...</quote> 1062 effect. This dialog has a special button, <guibutton>Edit Level Name or 1063 Hint</guibutton>, which shows a dialog where you can add an optional 1064 name and hint to your level.</para> 1065 </listitem> 1066 </varlistentry> 1067 1068 <varlistentry> 1069 <term><menuchoice> 1070 <guimenu>Editor</guimenu><guimenuitem>Move Level...</guimenuitem> 1071 </menuchoice> 1072 </term> 1073 <listitem> 1074 <para>This is a two-part operation. Before using <guimenuitem>Move 1075 Level...</guimenuitem>, you must load a level to be moved by selecting it 1076 for play or edit. Then shows the <guilabel>Select Game</guilabel> 1077 dialog, where you choose a new place 1078 for the loaded level. You can change both the game and the level 1079 number, to move a level to another game, or you can just change the level 1080 number to re-order levels within a game. You cannot move a System 1081 level.</para> 1082 </listitem> 1083 </varlistentry> 1084 1085 <varlistentry> 1086 <term><menuchoice> 1087 <guimenu>Editor</guimenu><guimenuitem>Delete Level...</guimenuitem> 1088 </menuchoice> 1089 </term> 1090 <listitem> 1091 <para>Shows the <guilabel>Select Game</guilabel> dialog, where you choose a level 1092 to delete. You cannot delete a System level.</para> 1093 </listitem> 1094 </varlistentry> 1095 1096 <varlistentry> 1097 <term><menuchoice> 1098 <guimenu>Editor</guimenu><guimenuitem>Create Game...</guimenuitem> 1099 </menuchoice> 1100 </term> 1101 <listitem> 1102 <para>You need to use this option before you start 1103 creating your own &kgoldrunner; levels. It shows a dialog where you 1104 can enter the name of a new game, a 1-5 character prefix for 1105 level-file names, the default rules for your game 1106 (<quote>&kgoldrunner;</quote> or <quote>Traditional</quote>) and an 1107 optional description or comment about the game.</para> 1108 </listitem> 1109 </varlistentry> 1110 1111 <varlistentry> 1112 <term><menuchoice> 1113 <guimenu>Editor</guimenu><guimenuitem>Edit Game Info...</guimenuitem> 1114 </menuchoice> 1115 </term> 1116 <listitem> 1117 <para>Shows the <guilabel>Select Game</guilabel> dialog, where 1118 you choose a game to be edited, then shows the game information in a 1119 dialog where you can edit the name, rules and description, but 1120 not the file name prefix, in case you have saved some levels. That 1121 is because the prefix is used in level-file names internally.</para> 1122 </listitem> 1123 </varlistentry> 1124 1125 </variablelist> 1126 1127 </sect1> 1128 1129 <sect1 id="settings-menu"> 1130 <title>The Settings Menu</title> 1131 1132 <variablelist> 1133 <varlistentry> 1134 <term><menuchoice> 1135 <guimenu>Settings</guimenu><guisubmenu>Change Theme</guisubmenu> 1136 </menuchoice></term> 1137 <listitem> 1138 <para>This submenu offers you a choice of background themes or 1139 <quote>worlds</quote> in which to play. You can change the theme at 1140 any time, even as the game is playing. For those who are artistically 1141 inclined, it is possible to compose new themes, including graphics 1142 or sound or both and add them to &kgoldrunner;. Just contact the author 1143 for details.</para> 1144 <variablelist> 1145 1146 <varlistentry> 1147 <term><guimenuitem>The Treasure of Egypt</guimenuitem></term> 1148 <listitem> 1149 <para>Matt Goldrunner finds himself in an Ancient Egyptian temple, being 1150 pursued by mummies who are determined to protect their ancestral jewels 1151 at all costs.</para> 1152 </listitem> 1153 </varlistentry> 1154 1155 <varlistentry> 1156 <term><guimenuitem>Black on White</guimenuitem></term> 1157 <listitem> 1158 <para>This theme is stripped down to its barest graphical units and 1159 painted in black and white only. It is intended to help players who 1160 may be visually impaired. The author would appreciate email responses on 1161 how effective it is and what improvements in visibility could be made.</para> 1162 </listitem> 1163 </varlistentry> 1164 1165 <varlistentry> 1166 <term><guimenuitem>&kgoldrunner; Default</guimenuitem></term> 1167 <listitem> 1168 <para>Gives you the default &kgoldrunner; theme, with 1169 red bricks and gray concrete.</para> 1170 </listitem> 1171 </varlistentry> 1172 1173 <varlistentry> 1174 <term><guimenuitem>Geek City</guimenuitem></term> 1175 <listitem> 1176 <para>Our hero is trapped inside a computer. Will he escape 1177 when he finally reaches the last level?</para> 1178 </listitem> 1179 </varlistentry> 1180 1181 <varlistentry> 1182 <term><guimenuitem>Nostalgia Blues</guimenuitem></term> 1183 <listitem> 1184 <para>Recalls the Apple II game, where the bricks and concrete were a 1185 nice blue color, the hero was white, the enemies had white pants and 1186 orange (flesh-tint) tops and the gold was white boxes with orange 1187 panels. The whole effect was fuzzier (a sort of hardware 1188 anti-aliasing), which made the bricks look almost 1189 three-dimensional — difficult to recreate on today's 1190 pin-sharp monitors.</para> 1191 </listitem> 1192 </varlistentry> 1193 1194 <varlistentry> 1195 <term><guimenuitem>Nostalgia</guimenuitem></term> 1196 <listitem> 1197 <para>Recalls the days of the original Apple II and Commodore 64 game, as it 1198 was when you plugged your machine into your TV set — otherwise you had 1199 a monochrome monitor. For those who do not remember such heroic days, this 1200 is not an exact reproduction, but it gives you a general idea. For example 1201 the hero was all white back then, but today he is blue.</para> 1202 </listitem> 1203 </varlistentry> 1204 1205 </variablelist> 1206 </listitem> 1207 </varlistentry> 1208 1209 <varlistentry> 1210 <term><menuchoice> 1211 <guimenu>Settings</guimenu><guimenuitem>Play Sounds</guimenuitem> 1212 </menuchoice></term> 1213 <listitem> 1214 <para>Toggles the sounds on and off.</para> 1215 </listitem> 1216 </varlistentry> 1217 1218 <varlistentry> 1219 <term><menuchoice> 1220 <guimenu>Settings</guimenu><guimenuitem>Play Footstep Sounds</guimenuitem> 1221 </menuchoice></term> 1222 <listitem> 1223 <para>Toggles the sounds of footsteps on and off.</para> 1224 </listitem> 1225 </varlistentry> 1226 1227 <varlistentry> 1228 <term><menuchoice> 1229 <guimenu>Settings</guimenu><guimenuitem>Demo At Start</guimenuitem> 1230 </menuchoice></term> 1231 <listitem> 1232 <para>Toggles the startup demo on and off 1233 (see <link linkend="how-to-play">Starting the Game</link>).</para> 1234 </listitem> 1235 </varlistentry> 1236 1237 <varlistentry> 1238 <term><menuchoice> 1239 <guimenu>Settings</guimenu><guimenuitem>Mouse Controls Hero</guimenuitem> 1240 </menuchoice></term> 1241 <listitem> 1242 <para>Sets mouse control of the hero 1243 (see <link linkend="mouse-control">Moving Around</link>).</para> 1244 </listitem> 1245 </varlistentry> 1246 1247 <varlistentry> 1248 <term><menuchoice> 1249 <guimenu>Settings</guimenu><guimenuitem>Keyboard Controls Hero</guimenuitem> 1250 </menuchoice></term> 1251 <listitem> 1252 <para>Sets keyboard control of the hero 1253 (see <link linkend="keyboard-control">Keyboard Control</link>).</para> 1254 </listitem> 1255 </varlistentry> 1256 1257 <varlistentry> 1258 <term><menuchoice> 1259 <guimenu>Settings</guimenu><guimenuitem>Hybrid Control (Laptop)</guimenuitem> 1260 </menuchoice></term> 1261 <listitem> 1262 <para>Sets hybrid control of the hero, for laptops, where the touchpad or 1263 other pointer device is used to guide the hero and the dig keys, on the 1264 keyboard, are used for digging left and right.</para> 1265 </listitem> 1266 </varlistentry> 1267 1268 <varlistentry> 1269 <term><menuchoice> 1270 <guimenu>Settings</guimenu><guimenuitem>Click Key To Move</guimenuitem> 1271 </menuchoice></term> 1272 <listitem> 1273 <para>In keyboard mode, click a direction-key to start moving 1274 and keep on going until you click another key.</para> 1275 </listitem> 1276 </varlistentry> 1277 1278 <varlistentry> 1279 <term><menuchoice> 1280 <guimenu>Settings</guimenu><guimenuitem>Hold Key To Move</guimenuitem> 1281 </menuchoice></term> 1282 <listitem> 1283 <para>In keyboard mode, hold down a direction-key to move 1284 and release it to stop.</para> 1285 </listitem> 1286 </varlistentry> 1287 1288 <varlistentry> 1289 <term><menuchoice> 1290 <guimenu>Settings</guimenu><guimenuitem>Normal Speed</guimenuitem> 1291 </menuchoice></term> 1292 <listitem> 1293 <para>Sets normal game speed (10 units).</para> 1294 </listitem> 1295 </varlistentry> 1296 1297 <varlistentry> 1298 <term><menuchoice> 1299 <guimenu>Settings</guimenu><guimenuitem>Beginner Speed</guimenuitem> 1300 </menuchoice></term> 1301 <listitem> 1302 <para>Sets beginner game speed (5 units, half of normal speed).</para> 1303 </listitem> 1304 </varlistentry> 1305 1306 <varlistentry> 1307 <term><menuchoice> 1308 <guimenu>Settings</guimenu><guimenuitem>Champion Speed</guimenuitem> 1309 </menuchoice></term> 1310 <listitem> 1311 <para>Sets champion game speed (15 units, 1.5 times normal speed).</para> 1312 </listitem> 1313 </varlistentry> 1314 1315 <varlistentry> 1316 <term><menuchoice><shortcut><keycap>+</keycap></shortcut> 1317 <guimenu>Settings</guimenu><guimenuitem>Increase Speed</guimenuitem> 1318 </menuchoice></term> 1319 <listitem> 1320 <para>Increases the game speed by one unit, up to a maximum of 20 1321 units (twice normal speed). You can use the <keycap>+</keycap> key 1322 as a shortcut.</para> 1323 </listitem> 1324 </varlistentry> 1325 1326 <varlistentry> 1327 <term><menuchoice> 1328 <shortcut><keycap>-</keycap></shortcut> 1329 <guimenu>Settings</guimenu><guimenuitem>Decrease Speed</guimenuitem> 1330 </menuchoice></term> 1331 <listitem> 1332 <para>Decreases the game speed by one unit, down to a minimum of 2 1333 units (a fifth of normal speed). You can use the <keycap>-</keycap> key 1334 as a shortcut.</para> 1335 </listitem> 1336 </varlistentry> 1337 1338 <varlistentry> 1339 <term><menuchoice> 1340 <guimenu>Settings</guimenu><guimenuitem>Configure Shortcuts...</guimenuitem> 1341 </menuchoice></term> 1342 <listitem> 1343 <para>In the &kde; desktop this item allows you to change the keyboard 1344 assignments (⪚ for keyboard control of the hero) or to assign your own 1345 shortcut keys for menu items.</para> 1346 </listitem> 1347 </varlistentry> 1348 1349 </variablelist> 1350 </sect1> 1351 1352 <sect1 id="help-menu"> 1353 <title>The Help Menu</title> 1354 1355 <para> 1356 Additionally &kgoldrunner; has the common &kde; <guimenu>Help</guimenu> 1357 menu items, for more information read the section about the 1358 <ulink url="help:/fundamentals/menus.html#menus-help">Help Menu</ulink> 1359 of the &kde; Fundamentals. 1360 </para> 1361 1362 </sect1> 1363 1364 </chapter> 1365 1366 <chapter id="game-editor"> 1367 <title>The Game Editor</title> 1368 1369 <sect1 id="editor-start"> 1370 <title>Getting Started with the Editor</title> 1371 1372 <sect2 id="creating-a-game"> 1373 <title>Creating a Game</title> 1374 1375 <para>Before you create or edit a &kgoldrunner; level, you must create 1376 a game in which to save it. Use the <menuchoice><guimenu>Editor</guimenu> 1377 <guimenuitem>Create Game...</guimenuitem></menuchoice> menu item. If you 1378 forget, you will be reminded.</para> 1379 1380 <para>The most important decisions to make when creating a game are to 1381 choose the rules you are going to follow (<quote>Traditional</quote> 1382 or <quote>&kgoldrunner;</quote>, see <link 1383 linkend="choice-of-rules">Choice of Rules</link>) and to choose a 1384 unique 1-5 character file name prefix for your game and levels. You 1385 also need a name and description for your game, but those can easily 1386 be changed later.</para> 1387 1388 <para>The prefix is used internally by &kgoldrunner; to identify level 1389 files, high score files and saved games. You can use your initials as 1390 a prefix provided they are not the same as a &kgoldrunner; prefix. So 1391 far, the prefixes <quote>level</quote>, <quote>plws</quote>, 1392 <quote>wad</quote>, <quote>plwv</quote>, <quote>sot</quote>, 1393 <quote>cnt</quote>, <quote>CM</quote>, 1394 <quote>tute</quote> and <quote>tutea</quote> have been used.</para> 1395 1396 <para>The four-letter <quote>tute</quote> prefix is reserved for 1397 tutorial games, which show the hint on each level as you play it. 1398 If you compose your own Tutorial game you could use the 1399 prefix <quote>tutex</quote>, to make it run as a tutorial but not get 1400 its files confused with those of the basic Tutorial or Advanced Tutorial 1401 (prefixes <quote>tute</quote> and <quote>tutea</quote>).</para> 1402 1403 </sect2> 1404 1405 <sect2 id="creating-a-level"> 1406 <title>Creating a Level</title> 1407 1408 <para>When you have a game set up, use the <menuchoice><guimenu>Editor</guimenu> 1409 <guimenuitem>Create Level</guimenuitem></menuchoice> menu item to start 1410 creating a level. It provides you with a blank playing area of 28x20 1411 squares, with the hero at the top left. You can put the hero somewhere 1412 else if you prefer and you do not have to use the whole 28x20 1413 area. Lots of interesting levels use smaller areas.</para> 1414 1415 <para>The minimum requirement for a level to be playable is to have a 1416 hero who is standing on something at the top of the playing area, but 1417 that is a trivial case. More realistically, you could have a maze to 1418 solve and some visible ladders leading to the top of the playing 1419 area, but no gold. You do not have to have enemies, gold, bars, hidden 1420 ladders or even bricks. There are many challenging levels that have no 1421 enemies or no bricks, however most levels have at least one gold, some 1422 enemies and 1423 some hidden ladders that appear when the last gold is collected.</para> 1424 1425 </sect2> 1426 </sect1> 1427 1428 <sect1 id="editing-and-testing"> 1429 <title>Editing and Testing</title> 1430 1431 <sect2 id="editing-a-level"> 1432 <title>Editing a Level</title> 1433 1434 <para>Use the <menuchoice><guimenu>Editor</guimenu> <guimenuitem>Edit 1435 Level...</guimenuitem></menuchoice> menu item to start editing an 1436 existing level or use the <menuchoice><guimenu>Editor</guimenu> 1437 <guimenuitem>Create Level</guimenuitem></menuchoice> menu item to start 1438 editing a new level.</para> 1439 1440 <para>If you choose 1441 a System level, you are warned that you will have to save it in one of 1442 your own games. Otherwise, the default is to save the level back where 1443 it came from, but you can vary that.</para> 1444 1445 </sect2> 1446 1447 <sect2 id="painting-objects"> 1448 <title>Painting Objects in a Level</title> 1449 1450 <para>The picture below shows the edit toolbar, which 1451 appears when you first choose <guimenuitem>Create Level</guimenuitem> 1452 or <guimenuitem>Edit Level...</guimenuitem> options from the 1453 <guimenu>Editor</guimenu> menu and so change from Play to Edit 1454 mode. It disappears when you go back to Play mode. Note also that, in 1455 Edit mode, false bricks and hidden ladders are made visible in the 1456 playing area.</para> 1457 1458 <para>The three icons on the left of the edit toolbar have the same 1459 actions as the <guimenuitem>Create Level</guimenuitem>, 1460 <guimenuitem>Edit Level...</guimenuitem> and <guimenuitem>Save 1461 Edits...</guimenuitem> menu options. The other eleven icons are for editing and 1462 painting objects in your level.</para> 1463 1464 1465 <para>From left to right the other eleven icons are <guiicon>Name/Hint 1466 </guiicon> (light bulb), <guiicon>Erase</guiicon> (background), 1467 <guiicon>Hero</guiicon>, 1468 <guiicon>Enemy</guiicon>, <guiicon>Brick</guiicon> (can dig), 1469 <guiicon>Concrete</guiicon> (cannot dig), <guiicon>Trap</guiicon> 1470 (also known as a false brick or fall-through brick), <guiicon>Ladder</guiicon>, 1471 <guiicon>H Ladder</guiicon> (hidden ladder), <guiicon>Bar</guiicon> (or pole) 1472 and <guiicon>Gold</guiicon>. The graphics for these icons, except for the 1473 light bulb, are copied from whatever &kgoldrunner; theme you are using.</para> 1474 1475 <screenshot> 1476 <screeninfo>Editing a level</screeninfo> 1477 <mediaobject> 1478 <imageobject> 1479 <imagedata fileref="editbar.png" format="PNG" /> 1480 </imageobject> 1481 <textobject><phrase>Editing a level</phrase></textobject> 1482 </mediaobject> 1483 </screenshot> 1484 1485 <para>The <guiicon>Name/Hint</guiicon> icon pops up a dialog in which 1486 you can create or edit your level's name and hint. Both are optional, 1487 but they are essential for tutorial levels and it is usual to provide 1488 them with very difficult levels, such as in Championship games (see the 1489 <quote>Vengeance of Peter W</quote> game).</para> 1490 1491 <para>When you click on one of the other 10 icons, the mouse becomes a 1492 <quote>brush</quote> that paints that icon. Initially the brush is set 1493 to <quote>brick</quote>.</para> 1494 1495 <para>You paint either by pointing and clicking the &LMB;, to place a 1496 single object in a square, or by holding the &LMB; down and dragging 1497 the mouse, to fill a line or area, such as a long ladder, a large 1498 block of bricks or a concrete floor. Painting stops wherever you 1499 release the mouse button. If you make a mistake, you can use the &RMB; to 1500 erase it, or you can select the <guiicon>Erase</guiicon> icon and draw 1501 with that.</para> 1502 1503 <para>The hero icon works differently, because there can be only one 1504 hero. When you paint the hero, he moves from his previous position to 1505 wherever you release the mouse button.</para> 1506 1507 </sect2> 1508 1509 <sect2 id="saving-your-work"> 1510 <title>Saving Your Work</title> 1511 1512 <para>When you have finished painting, save your work using the 1513 <guiicon>disk</guiicon> icon or the <menuchoice><guimenu>Editor</guimenu> 1514 <guimenuitem>Save Edits...</guimenuitem></menuchoice> or 1515 <menuchoice><guimenu>Game</guimenu> <guimenuitem>Save Edits...</guimenuitem></menuchoice> 1516 menu items. You must always save into your own games, never into the 1517 System games.</para> 1518 1519 <para>If you are creating a level, you use the <guilabel>Select Game</guilabel> dialog 1520 to assign it to a game and level number. You use the same dialog if 1521 you have been editing a level, but the default is to save it where it 1522 came from. You can change the game and level, to get a <quote>Save as...</quote> 1523 effect. If you have been editing a System level you must 1524 save it as a copy in one of your own games.</para> 1525 1526 </sect2> 1527 1528 <sect2 id="adding-name-and-hint"> 1529 <title>Adding a Level Name and Hint</title> 1530 1531 <para>On the Save version of the <guilabel>Select Game</guilabel> dialog is a 1532 button marked <guibutton>Edit Level Name or Hint</guibutton>. You can use 1533 this to put the finishing touches on your level by adding a name and 1534 hint. Both are optional, but they are essential for tutorial levels 1535 and it is usual to provide them with very difficult levels, such as in 1536 Championship games (see the 1537 <quote>Vengeance of Peter W</quote> game). Of course you can also use 1538 the <guiicon>Edit Name/Hint</guiicon> icon, at any time, to add or edit a 1539 name and hint.</para> 1540 1541 </sect2> 1542 1543 <sect2 id="testing-a-level"> 1544 <title>Testing a Level</title> 1545 1546 <para>After saving an edited level, you can test it by using the 1547 <menuchoice><guimenu>Game</guimenu> <guimenuitem>New Game...</guimenuitem></menuchoice> 1548 menu item or the equivalent keyboard shortcut. By default the game and 1549 level number are remembered and you can get straight into the level with 1550 just a few clicks. If you then want to edit some more, the same is true 1551 when you use the <menuchoice><guimenu>Game</guimenu> 1552 <guimenuitem>Edit Level...</guimenuitem></menuchoice> menu item again. 1553 It is essential to test every level you compose, to make sure that it is 1554 possible to complete it and that it is not too easy.</para> 1555 1556 </sect2> 1557 </sect1> 1558 1559 <sect1 id="reorganizing-games"> 1560 <title>Reorganizing Games and Levels</title> 1561 1562 <sect2 id="moving-a-level"> 1563 <title>Moving a Level</title> 1564 1565 <para>You can use <guimenuitem>Move Level</guimenuitem> on the 1566 <guimenu>Editor</guimenu> menu to re-order or re-number the levels in 1567 a game or to move a level from one game to another. <guimenuitem>Move 1568 Level</guimenuitem> is a two-part operation. You must first load a 1569 level by selecting it for editing or play, then when you use 1570 <guimenuitem>Move Level</guimenuitem>, the <guilabel>Select Game</guilabel> dialog 1571 appears and you can select the new level number and game (as 1572 required).</para> 1573 1574 <para>Moves leave no gaps in the sequence of level numbers in a 1575 game. For example, if you move level 10 of game A to level 3 of game B, 1576 levels 11 and above in game A are re-numbered down by one (to close 1577 the gap) and levels 3 and above in game B are re-numbered up by one 1578 (to make room for the newcomer).</para> 1579 1580 </sect2> 1581 1582 <sect2 id="deleting-a-level"> 1583 <title>Deleting a Level</title> 1584 1585 <para>You can use the <menuchoice><guimenu>Editor</guimenu> <guimenuitem>Delete 1586 Level...</guimenuitem></menuchoice> menu item to remove an unwanted level. 1587 The other levels are re-numbered so as to close the gap in the sequence.</para> 1588 1589 </sect2> 1590 </sect1> 1591 1592 </chapter> 1593 1594 <chapter id="tips-tricks-and-hints"> 1595 <title>Tips, Tricks and Hints</title> 1596 1597 <sect1 id="tips-overview"> 1598 <title>Overview</title> 1599 1600 <para>This chapter presents some general tips and hints for playing 1601 &kgoldrunner;, as opposed to the specific hints you will find on the levels 1602 in tutorial and championship games (see <link linkend="move-menu"><menuchoice> 1603 <guimenu>Move</guimenu><guimenuitem>Hint</guimenuitem></menuchoice></link> or 1604 <keycap>H</keycap>). The hints are grouped as follows:</para> 1605 1606 <itemizedlist> 1607 1608 <listitem> 1609 <para><link linkend="hints-dealing-with-enemies"> 1610 Dealing with Enemies</link></para> 1611 </listitem> 1612 1613 <listitem> 1614 <para><link linkend="hints-digging-puzzles"> 1615 Digging Puzzles</link></para> 1616 </listitem> 1617 1618 <listitem> 1619 <para><link linkend="hints-tricks-with-gold"> 1620 Tricks with Gold</link></para> 1621 </listitem> 1622 1623 <listitem> 1624 <para><link linkend="hints-solving-difficult-levels"> 1625 Solving Difficult Levels</link></para> 1626 </listitem> 1627 1628 </itemizedlist> 1629 </sect1> 1630 1631 <sect1 id="hints-dealing-with-enemies"> 1632 <title>Dealing with Enemies</title> 1633 1634 <itemizedlist> 1635 <listitem> 1636 <para>You can always trap a single oncoming enemy in one hole, get his 1637 gold and run on over him without killing him. It is often a good idea 1638 to dig behind you and delay him further, but that might kill him. In 1639 some levels it is not a good idea to kill enemies.</para> 1640 </listitem> 1641 <listitem> 1642 <para>You can usually trap two oncoming enemies in two holes, get 1643 their gold and run on over them, but this is dangerous if the enemies 1644 are separated by two or three spaces. Sometimes two holes kill one of 1645 the enemies and the other escapes and sometimes both escape. In 1646 &kgoldrunner; rules it is easier to trap two enemies and run over them, 1647 because they stay in the holes for longer.</para> 1648 </listitem> 1649 <listitem> 1650 <para>It is nearly always impossible to trap three oncoming enemies 1651 and run on over them. You will have to kill them, dig and drop through 1652 the floor or simply run away.</para> 1653 </listitem> 1654 <listitem> 1655 <para>Try to get all the enemies running together in one group. That 1656 way you will not get surrounded and you can do such fun things as 1657 collect gold while they run along behind you.</para> 1658 </listitem> 1659 <listitem> 1660 <para>Sometimes you can kill an enemy with two holes, but it often 1661 takes three to nine holes to kill one to five enemies.</para> 1662 </listitem> 1663 <listitem> 1664 <para>It is possible to kill an enemy with one hole if he is far 1665 enough away when you dig it.</para> 1666 </listitem> 1667 <listitem> 1668 <para>In the <quote>Traditional</quote> game, you can trap an enemy 1669 permanently in a pit of brick or concrete. Stand near the edge of the 1670 pit on the opposite side to the enemy. As he approaches the pit, move 1671 down one square (to the level of the floor of the pit) and the enemy 1672 will usually run into the pit.</para> 1673 </listitem> 1674 <listitem> 1675 <para>In some levels in the <quote>Traditional</quote> game, you can 1676 force an enemy to climb a ladder ahead of you if you stand somewhere 1677 above the bottom of the ladder.</para> 1678 </listitem> 1679 <listitem> 1680 <para>In the <quote>&kgoldrunner;</quote> game, you can trap an enemy 1681 in a pit by getting him to fall from above you, then running sideways and 1682 digging out before he reaches you.</para> 1683 </listitem> 1684 <listitem> 1685 <para>In the <quote>&kgoldrunner;</quote> game, enemies cannot run through 1686 dug bricks, so you can sometimes use them as a barrier or hiding place.</para> 1687 </listitem> 1688 </itemizedlist> 1689 1690 </sect1> 1691 1692 <sect1 id="hints-digging-puzzles"> 1693 <title>Digging Puzzles</title> 1694 1695 <itemizedlist> 1696 <listitem> 1697 <para>To dig through more than one layer of bricks, start by digging 1698 as many bricks as there are layers, jump in, dig one brick less and so 1699 on.</para> 1700 </listitem> 1701 <listitem> 1702 <para>If you dig next to a ladder or a succession of bars, you can dig 1703 down through any number of layers and up to five or six bricks 1704 horizontally. Just return to the ladder or bars after digging each 1705 layer, then move down one square, run out and dig the next 1706 layer.</para> 1707 </listitem> 1708 <listitem> 1709 <para>If a digging puzzle looks impossible, consider that there might 1710 be some false bricks in it. Maybe the bottom layer is false or maybe 1711 you can stand in a false brick and dig next to it.</para> 1712 </listitem> 1713 <listitem> 1714 <para>Think about the order in which you will collect the gold. If you 1715 pick the right order, the digging might be easier.</para> 1716 </listitem> 1717 <listitem> 1718 <para>Some levels require you to dig away a brick wall, run in, 1719 collect some gold and run out again before the bricks close up and 1720 trap you.</para> 1721 </listitem> 1722 <listitem> 1723 <para>It is possible to dig while falling through empty space, if you can 1724 get the timing right. You do not need to have an enemy to ride upon. This 1725 is a bug which has become a <quote>feature</quote> and is used extensively 1726 in the <quote>State of Terror</quote>, <quote>Count</quote> and 1727 <quote>Curse of the Mummy</quote> games.</para> 1728 </listitem> 1729 </itemizedlist> 1730 1731 </sect1> 1732 1733 <sect1 id="hints-tricks-with-gold"> 1734 <title>Tricks with Gold</title> 1735 1736 <itemizedlist> 1737 <listitem> 1738 <para>If you cannot get to a piece of gold, think about getting an 1739 enemy to go there and get it. Even think about using an enemy's head 1740 as a bridge to get across a pit or precipice.</para> 1741 </listitem> 1742 <listitem> 1743 <para>In some levels there is a nugget that must be collected last of 1744 all, because you will need the hidden ladders to get away from that 1745 position.</para> 1746 </listitem> 1747 <listitem> 1748 <para>In some situations an enemy can be killed without giving up the 1749 gold he is carrying. The gold becomes a <quote>lost nugget</quote>. 1750 You score no points for making an enemy lose a nugget, 1751 but at least you can finish the level.</para> 1752 </listitem> 1753 <listitem> 1754 <para>If there is nowhere to dig, keep the enemies running over 1755 concrete and the tops of ladders and so make them release their gold 1756 at random.</para> 1757 </listitem> 1758 </itemizedlist> 1759 1760 </sect1> 1761 1762 <sect1 id="hints-solving-difficult-levels"> 1763 <title>Solving Difficult Levels</title> 1764 1765 <itemizedlist> 1766 <listitem> 1767 <para>Try changing the speed settings to Beginner or even lower.</para> 1768 </listitem> 1769 <listitem> 1770 <para>Use the Editor feature to <quote>peek</quote> at where the false 1771 bricks and hidden ladders are.</para> 1772 </listitem> 1773 <listitem> 1774 <para>Use the Editor feature to save the level in one of your own 1775 games, then you can edit it so that you do not always have to start at 1776 the beginning when you die. This allows you to develop the solution in 1777 easier stages.</para> 1778 </listitem> 1779 <listitem> 1780 <para>In digging puzzles, look for false bricks you can fall into and 1781 thus have one less brick to dig. Or consider using an enemy to go 1782 ahead of you, so that you can stand on his head and dig.</para> 1783 </listitem> 1784 <listitem> 1785 <para>Look for a theme or trick in the level, such as riding down on 1786 an enemy's head, trapping all the enemies in a pit, luring the enemies 1787 to a corner where they will stay and not chase you, luring the enemies 1788 into pits you must cross to get to some gold, getting the enemies to 1789 fetch gold for you or finding spots where you can stand and make an 1790 enemy move to where you want him.</para> 1791 </listitem> 1792 <listitem> 1793 <para>Use the <menuchoice><guimenu>Move</guimenu> 1794 <guimenuitem>Show a Solution</guimenuitem></menuchoice> menu item to check if 1795 there is a recorded solution to the level. This will show you some ways 1796 to handle difficulties in the level, but not necessarily the best 1797 ways. There are often many ways to win a level and each time you play 1798 it there are small differences in timing, &etc; So you probably will not 1799 be able to copy the recorded solution exactly.</para> 1800 </listitem> 1801 <listitem> 1802 <para>Use <menuchoice><guimenu>Move</guimenu> 1803 <guimenuitem>Instant Replay</guimenuitem></menuchoice> or 1804 <menuchoice><guimenu>Move</guimenu> 1805 <guimenuitem>Replay Last Level</guimenuitem></menuchoice> to replay a 1806 level to a point just before you had trouble, then interrupt the 1807 replay and try some other approach.</para> 1808 </listitem> 1809 </itemizedlist> 1810 </sect1> 1811 1812 <!-- This is the place for a FAQ section, if required. 1813 <sect1 id="hints-faq"> 1814 <title>FAQ</title> 1815 1816 <qandaset id="faq"> 1817 1818 <qandaentry> 1819 <question> 1820 <para>Question 1</para> 1821 </question> 1822 <answer> 1823 <para>The answer</para> 1824 </answer> 1825 </qandaentry> 1826 1827 </qandaset> 1828 </sect1> 1829 --> 1830 1831 </chapter> 1832 1833 <chapter id="credits-and-license"> 1834 <title>Credits and License</title> 1835 1836 <para>&kgoldrunner; copyright 2003 Ian Wadham and Marco Krüger.</para> 1837 1838 <para>&kgoldrunner; is inspired by an early computer game called 1839 <trademark>Lode Runner</trademark> which was written in the USA 1840 by <trademark class="copyright">Doug Smith</trademark> and first released 1841 in 1983 by <trademark class="copyright">Broderbund Software</trademark>. It 1842 appeared originally on the Apple II and Commodore 64 computers, which was 1843 where the Wadham family and Marco Krüger became hooked. It was a major 1844 best-seller in its day and is one of the all-time great computer games.</para> 1845 1846 <para>You can find out more about <trademark>Lode Runner</trademark> and 1847 the various versions that have come out since 1983, on the 1848 website <ulink url="https://entropymine.com/jason/lr/">Jason's Lode Runner 1849 Archive</ulink> (https://entropymine.com/jason/lr/). 1850 That site also has the story of the game's original development, in the file 1851 <ulink url="https://entropymine.com/jason/lr/misc/ldhist.html"> 1852 misc/ldhist.html</ulink>. Wikipedia also has a very good article on 1853 <trademark>Lode Runner</trademark>, with interesting links to other 1854 sites.</para> 1855 1856 <para>&kgoldrunner; is an attempt to preserve the spirit of the original 1857 classic game on a platform that will be portable and will last more than 1858 a few years. It is available as free software in source code form. Copies 1859 of the original game are unobtainable now and the machines it ran on are 1860 going into museums.</para> 1861 1862 <para>Marco Krüger developed &kgoldrunner; as far as v0.3, out of 1863 nostalgia for the original Commodore 64 game. Ian Wadham added 1864 several features and levels and created the current version. Ian's 1865 elder son Peter composed the 100 levels in the <quote>Initiation</quote> 1866 game and the 20 tricky levels in <quote>Vengeance of Peter W</quote>. 1867 The other levels 1868 were composed by Ian, Peter, Marco Krüger and friends and Ian's other 1869 children, Simon and Genevieve. 1870 </para> 1871 <para> 1872 Stuart Popejoy of New York contributed 1873 the <quote>State of Terror</quote> game, in 2007, the first Championship game 1874 to use &kgoldrunner; rules and one of the most difficult games ever.</para> 1875 1876 <para>Steve Mann of Waterloo in Canada contributed the <quote>Count</quote> 1877 game in 2008 and the <quote>Curse of the Mummy</quote> game in 2008. Both 1878 use Traditional rules and both have interesting themes running through them, 1879 as well as being quite difficult.</para> 1880 1881 <para>Peter Wadham composed the sound effects in 2008 and Luciano Montanaro 1882 incorporated the sounds into the &kgoldrunner; program.</para> 1883 1884 <para>Special thanks are due to &Mauricio.Piacentini; and Dmitry Suzdalev, 1885 who converted &kgoldrunner; to &Qt; 4 and &kde; 4, and to the many graphics 1886 artists who contributed to the new SVG graphics and themes in the &kde; 4 1887 version: especially &Mauricio.Piacentini; for the <quote>Default</quote> theme 1888 and the new runners, Johann Ollivier Lapeyre for the ladders and bars, 1889 Eugene Trounev for the <quote>Geek City</quote> and 1890 <quote>Treasure of Egypt</quote> themes and, last but not least, 1891 Luciano Montanaro for the two <quote>Nostalgia</quote> themes, the 1892 <quote>Black on White</quote> accessibility theme, improvements to the 1893 runners, multiple backgrounds and several other ideas.</para> 1894 1895 <!-- TRANS:CREDIT_FOR_TRANSLATORS --> 1896 &underFDL; 1897 &underGPL; 1898 1899 </chapter> 1900 1901 </book> 1902 1903 <!-- 1904 Local Variables: 1905 mode: sgml 1906 sgml-omittag: nil 1907 sgml-shorttag: t 1908 sgml-general-insert-case: lower 1909 End: 1910 -->