80 lines
4.0 KiB
Plaintext
80 lines
4.0 KiB
Plaintext
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Quatris 2.0
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The Games of Shapes
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Quatris is a game of placing shapes strategically as they fall
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into place. Each shape can be thought of as 4 small squares linked
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together. Thus the name Quatris. These shapes are sometimes refered
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to as tetrominoes. The game is similar to the commercial game Tetris.
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This adaptation of the theme is for CP/M. It is written in Turbo
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Pascal, and thus requires a Z80 or compatible CPU. The source code is
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available for a modest fee, and can be ported to MS-DOS with little
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trouble.
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The game controls are mostly numbers. The game screen lists the
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controls, so play is simple. Strategy is complex however. The main
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object is to completely fill whole rows with blocks. When this
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happens, the row vanishes, and the end of the game is postponed.
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Points are accumulated as each shape drops. You get more points for
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placing the shape faster, so use the space bar to drop it into place
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as soon as it is properly positioned. You get more points at harder
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(lower) levels as the action speeds up. It may be strategic to begin
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at a higher level, or to advance while playing. The level auto-
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matically advances, if not high enough already, after a certain number
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of rows have been filled. An option to preview the next shape is
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available, but it does slightly lower your points.
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The .COM file is initially set up for a Kaypro/Televideo/ADM type
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terminal. The public domain program PDTINS by Carson Wilson is
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included to allow this to be changed if needed. My thanks to him for
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this program. In the unlikely event that a compatible terminal is not
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on the PDTINS menu, you only need to worry about clear screen and
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cursor addressing. Look for 01A hex for clear screen, and <ESC>=rc
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for cursor addressing in the distributed .COM file. The crt init (and
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exit) sequence can be used to turn the cursor off (and back on) if it
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bothers you. With DDT, the strings would begin (length first) at 016B
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hex (off) and 017B hex (on). Add your strings, with appropriate
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lengths, to enable this feature.
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The game is configured to run best on a 4 MHz machine. This too
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can be changed. To try a different value (lower values make the game
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more challenging) include the value on the command line, example:
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A>QUATRIS 3MHZ<RET>
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To enter your system speed permanently as the default, requires DDT or
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some other patch utility. The value is at location 0124 hex.
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A high scores file is maintained for the top ten scores. This
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encourages competition and makes the game more enjoyable, even if you
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only try to better your own high score. My high score is about 6500.
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To see the high scores without playing just enter the command:
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A>QUATRIS SCORE<RET>
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The game can be exited early if desired. In case of supervisor
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surveillance, or if you need to pause for some reason (ahem), there is
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a key which clears the screen and leaves a bogus "A>" prompt. Hit
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any key to resume where you left off, or hit ESC at the false prompt
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to quietly exit to CP/M (your score is not recorded in this case).
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This software and documentation is copyright 1989 by Steven B.
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Perkins. You are free to use, copy, and distribute it as long as it
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is not for profit. Contact me if other arrangements are desired.
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I believe the CP/M world can use more support. There really are
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a lot of us out here! Any comments about this game, or monetary
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encouragement towards further efforts and upgrades can be sent to the
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address below. I also frequent Z-Node 45: (713)937-8886 and you can
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leave messages for me there. A donation of $10 or more makes you an
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official supported user. If you send such a donation and a floppy
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disk, you will receive the source code, the latest version, and another
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game and utility to try. Have fun, and keep supporting CP/M and the Z-
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system.
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Address: Steven B. Perkins
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1227 Spring Ridge Dr.
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Sandy, UT 84094
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