Skoardy v1.0
Copyright 1999 Darren Hebden.

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'Skoardy' is my entry in Bung's 2nd Amateur Gameboy(tm) Format Games
Coding Competition. 
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NB. 'Skoardy' only runs on a Gameboy Color(tm). It will not work on
the plain Gameboy(tm) or Gameboy Pocket(tm).

Plot.
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SHORT VERSION : Guide the red dot around the maze to the exit. You 
can't stop, only turn. Too slow and you crash which loses a life. 
You have 3 lives to finish all 10 levels. Oh yes, collect the pots too.

LONG VERSION : You know you shouldn't have answered the newspaper ad.
"Athletic subject required to test a new kind of skateboard". New kind
of skateboard?! Yeah, nuclear powered! And now it's gone wrong, with
you on it! It won't stop and if you crash, it explodes! Your only 
chance to escape this nightmare is to reach the 'safety zone' but that
is ten test-zones away! 

Lead our hapless hero to the exit on each zone without hitting a wall
and you'll be one step closer to freedom. Oh yes, one thing though. 
The scientists have asked if you could collect some sample pots left 
around the zone. If you don't they won't let you out the exit so your
life is on the line here.


Options.
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Skoardy has a number of options to make your life easier (or harder).

First option is Speed. This affects how fast you travel. The default 
setting is '2' so if you're finding things a little difficult, you've
got an easier setting to try. However, if your reactions are super-fast,
you might be tempted to try a higher level. 

The second option is for the Pots. Here you can remove the need to 
collect pots altogether by setting it to 'OFF'. It defaults to 'ON'
but there is also another setting which might help it things are too
hard. The 'STAY' setting means that you still need to collect all 
the pots but if you lose a life, the pots you've already collected
will no re-appear. 

Lastly, Level specifies which level you will start on for a new game.
If you want a little boost or simply want to skip the earlier levels,
this option will let you pick your starting level right up to '5'.


Controls.
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The buttons don't do anything during the game and are really only used
to skip some of the various screens. The direction that you travel in
is controlled by the D-Pad. You cannot pause mid-game, that'd make 
things too easy if you could take a breather. :)

Once a level has begun and the 'Go!' image has vanished, you can study
the level. Get a feel for where you're heading. You won't move until
you press one of the directions and once you're moving, you cannot stop.


Other Stuff.
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This is my first Gameboy(tm) project. It's been a learning experience
and I'm still going. Sorry about the lack of sound/music.

'Skoardy' was written in C using GBDK from Michael Hope.

The graphics were created with Photoshop on the PC and converted 
using the PCX2GB - the 'Advanced PCX to Gameboy Converter v2.14'
by MegaMan_X. 

All design, coding and graphics were done by me. The GB_Dev mailing
list was an invaluable lurking spot. Don't ask too many questions,
they bite ;)

If you have any comments or questions, please contact me at...
dsh@skoardy.demon.co.uk



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Gameboy(tm), Gameboy Pocket(tm) and Gameboy Color(tm) are registered
trademarks of the Nintendo Corporation.
