Page: 1 of 11 Rules for "MAZE OF AGDAGON" Version 1.02 2/7/1994 Copyright (c)1990,1991,1992,1993,1994 The AGDA Group -------------------------------------------------------------------------- Welcome to "MAZE OF AGDAgon", the first multi-player multi-computer game developed for the 8-bit Atari Computer. With this game, and the GameLink-II connection (described elsewhere), you and up to 7 other Atari 8-bit gamers can engage in mortal combat in a 1st person 3-D viewable maze. SYSTEM REQUIREMENTS - 1 to 8 Atari 8-bit computers (400/600/800/XL/XE/XEGS), each with the GTIA chip and at least 48 KB of RAM. - 1 to 8 joysticks (one per player). - The GameLink-II device(s). Depending on which one you build/buy, you may also require a serial bus cable per player. Please refer to the documentation on the GameLink-II. - Cartridge versions of the game only require one cartridge for any number of players. No disk drive is needed. - 1 disk drive for disk versions (yes, only one required no matter how many players you might have). HOST STARTUP (DISK BASED SYSTEMS) One Atari 8-bit computer must serve as the "Host", and will be the one that initially loads the game software. This one should have only one disk drive connected to its serial bus. Boot up the Host with your favorite DOS, then load the AGDAGON.COM file. Once the title screen is displayed, you should disconnect the disk drive from the SIO bus. Skip the next paragraph. HOST STARTUP (CARTRIDGE BASED SYSTEMS) Plug the cartridge into the "Host" computer and turn it on. Wait for the title screen to be displayed before proceeding. SLAVE COMPUTER BOOTUP (ALL SYSTEMS) Connect the "Host" to the GameLink-II serial bus, Connect another Atari 8-bit computer (powered off, with no serial peripherals connected, with monitor turned on) to the GameLink-II device. Turn it on, and it should "boot up" directly, using the "Host" as if it were the disk drive. You will notice the sound is different. The usual "beep-beep-beep" of the disk drive loading is replaced by one constant, long "beeeeep". If the "node" has booted properly, it will display a screen that says: "Press START only after all nodes load.". If the node doesn't boot the first time, be patient. The boot code will retry several times. If you wish to boot up other computers at this time, plug them into GameLink-II and boot them up as you did the first node. When all are ready, press START on all the nodes (but not the Host), which should then switch to the game screen and say: "WAIT FOR MAZE DATABASE". Then press START on the Host to send the random maze and start the game. Page: 2 of 11 Before you press START on the Host, the highlighted numbers at the bottom of the screen should indicate which nodes are active. If, by some mistake, the highlighted numbers don't match what you've got set up, you can toggle individual numbers by pressing the appropiate keys (on the Host keyboard). This tells the program which nodes are active, it will waste time trying to poll the inactive nodes. The Host can also declare nodes inactive during game play by holding down START and pressing the appropiate number keys. You could use this to zap players who have decided to quit before the end. Don't forget to re-enable their node numbers at the beginning of the next game, however. AN OVERVIEW OF THE GAME A maze of 15 x 15 cells is the playfield. You see a first person perspective view of the maze from your current position and direction of travel. The walls are opaque, and a color scheme is used that helps you orient yourself as to your current direction (east facing walls are a light orange in color, west-facing walls are dark). You are able to see other players and grenades that are in your path. The grenades are white checkered ellipses, and the other players are larger red ellipses with eyes and a crooked smile. You are able to move forward, or turn left or right by pressing the joystick forward, left or right respectively. Your view will change to indicate your new position. Turns are shown with hardware scrolling, helping you follow the changing direction. You can select an overhead view by pulling back on the joystick. You will hear a "ding" sound. The overhead view indicates your current position, and any opponents in your view. Also, any cells which you have traveled are indicated in green, to allow you to keep track of where you have been. Cells that have been in your field of view are plotted in black. This helps you to figure out what paths remain to be explored. At the beginning of the game, there are ten hand grenades placed randomly throughout the maze. More grenades will appear randomly thoughout the game as the supply is reduced. You can carry a maximum of three grenades at one time. You pick up a grenade by passing through the cell that it is located in. A tone will sound to indicate success. Do NOT press the joystick button to pick up a grenade - you will just waste it by setting it off. You'll find out that you can make turns faster the fewer grenades you are carrying. Grenades don't last forever: some 35 to 45 seconds after you've picked one up it "decays". You will hear a "deedle" tone on your speaker, and you'll have one less grenade. This means you'll have to avoid sitting around, and actively track down the other players. Page: 3 of 11 To activate a grenade, press your joystick fire button. Three seconds after being activated the grenade will explode (you will hear a "tick-tock" count down the seconds). Any players which are ahead of you (in other words, in your field of view) will lose one life, unless they are able to move out of that hellway before the grenade explodes. When a grenade is activated, a four-tone alarm will sound on the speaker of any players which are in the explosion zone of the grenade. If your grenade "kills" another player, you will hear the explosion soun in your monitor, and your score will increase. Note that you can only see, and your grenade can only fire, up to eight cells directly ahead. Also note that you are frozen in place while a grenade is counting down, so don't fire one if you need to get out of the way of someone else's grenade. When two of you face off, and both fire a grenade, the one who fired first survives. In the rare event thst both of you pushed the trigger at exactly the same time, you both will die. When you loose a life, you will hear the explosion sound, and the number of lives left will be decremented. The screen will also flash on and off. The first 2 times you die, you are reincarnated in a random position in the maze. You will be spinning around as you come back to life, and nobody can see you while this is happening. This allows you to get some orientation to your new position. When you die the third time, the game is over for you. You will be able to monitor the remaining portion of the game from your screen as a "ghost" that nobody else can see (as long as there are other players left in the game). While in the overhead view, if you have two or three grenades, you can trade two grenades for a peek at where all the other players are located. Pull your joystick back, and press the joystick button. A strange "bleep" sound will occur, and a snapshot of all players' locations will register on your overhead view. You can view this as long as you wish by continuing to pull back on the joystick, but players' location will not update to show any movement the might have made. The player locations are erased from the overhead view when you let go of the joystick. The last player surviving in the maze is the winner. The message: "GAME OVER, WINNER:X" will be displayed, flashing on and off, indicating which node has won. To allow for contests, there will be a score displayed on your screen at all time, which is calculated in the following manner: 1) 10 points for every grenade you collect. 2) 100 points for each player you kill. To play another game, have all players press RESET. The Host will be returned to the title screen (like we had at the very beginning), and the node(s) will see the message: "WAIT FOR MAZE DATABASE". Press START on the Host to begin another game. Page: 4 of 11 ADDITIONAL NOTES ON PLAY Note that new nodes can be added after the end of the game. Press RESET on only the Host (and NOT any of the other nodes). Plug the new node into the network like the others, and power it up. It should boot up like the others, and will be assigned the next highest node number. If someone mistakenly pressed RESET on a node at the end of a game, and you want to boot up another node, simply pull his serial cable out while the new node boots up. The speed of updates is around 6 to 10 per second, and is linked to the drawing speed of the nodes. The one taking the longest to draw the picture determines how fast all of them can move. A minimum update speed is used to avoid wide swings in update rate. You'll also notice that when moving forward, your first step takes longer than all others. This was intentionally programmed in to allow you to "nudge" forward one cell when necessary. Without this feature, even seasoned players found they would consistently overshoot their destination. You'll also find that jamming the joystick right or left to make a turn, and moving it directly to the forward position (without coming to rest in the center position) will enable you to zip around corners (and defeat the "first step" delay). SHAREWARE REGISTRATION OF DISK BASED "MAZE OF AGDAGON The disk version was the first fully operational shareware release. Shareware is a marketing method, whereby you are able to use the product before you purchase it. If you decide you do not like the product, please pass it on to another Atari 8-bit user. If you use and enjoy this product, please mail in the requested registration fee. By doing so, you will be telling the authors you respect the time and effore they have spent programming, and encourage them to continue supporting this platform. The cartridge versions are pre-registered, so you do not have to mail in any fee. We are sure you have noticed the lack of new software for the Atari 8-bit computer. Major software publishers can no longer justify spending the money necessary to market and support software to such a small user base. Shareware is the most effective method by which a small group of programmers such as ourselves can most efficiently distribute a work like this. But we rely heavily on the honesty of the user community out there. The version of the game you have is a full, working program, with no crippling features and no usage limits. We intend to enhance the game in the near future and only offer the enhanced version to registered users. Page: 5 of 11 To register, please send $5 (check or money order is US funds, drawn on a US bank), and a letter to: DataQue Products Post Office Box 134 Ontario, OH 44862 USA In your letter, please provide us feedback as fas as what you like and dislike about the game, and what new features you would like upgraded version to include (use the Easy Response letter at the end of these docs). Please indicate the version number of the program which you currently have. In return, you will receive the following by mail: - A personalized autographed copy of the most recent version of "MAZE OF AGDAGON". - A hardcopy of all documentation, including advanced documentation with strategy tips and technical information on the GameLink-II protocol. - Advance e-mail (on GEnie, CompuServe or Internet) notice of availability of the next version of "MAZE OF AGDAGON". In addition, technical support for registered users will be given priority over that of non-registered users. The AGDA Group will maintain a presence on the GEnie online service (Category 4 of the Atari 8 area), and can be reached via e-mail on the following services: GEnie: DATAQUE.1 JDPOTTER CompuServe: 71777,3223 74030,2020 Internet: potter@sunny.dab.ge.com and of course from the Internet gateway to GEnie and CompuServe. -------------------------------------------------------------------------- GameLink-II Specification Copyright (c)1993 DataQue Software AGDAGON information Copyright (c) 1993 The AGDA Group Page: 6 of 11 -------------------------------------------------------------------------- GameLink-II Version 1.08 December 16, 1993 -------------------------------------------------------------------------- DataQue Software and the AGDA Group assume no responsibility for damages caused by individuals attempting to make the modifications described in this document. PLEASE READ ALL INSTRUCTIONS CAREFULLY! NORMAL SIO PHYSICAL CONNECTIONS: 1) The GameLink-II serial link uses the SIO bus, which is standard on all Atari 8-bit computer systems. 2) The SIO port is a 13-pin custom connector with the pins defined as follows: pin name source function --- --------- -------- ---------------------- 1 SCLK POKEY Serial Input Clock 2 OCLK POKEY Serial Output Clock 3 SID POKEY Serial Data Input 4 DGND Power Data Ground 5 SOD POKEY Serial Data Output 6 CGND Power Chassis Ground 7 COMMAND PIA Serial Command 8 MOTCTL PIA Cassette Motor Control 9 PROCEED PIA Interrupt Input 10 +5V Power Processor Ready 11 AUDIO IN POKEY Audio in to modulator/POKEY 12 +12V/NC Power Unused on XL/XE 13 INTERRUPT PIA Interrupt Input 3) A view if the free end of the SIO connector (the one on your 8-bit computer) would appear as shown below: ------------------------------- / 2 4 6 8 10 12 \ / o o o o o o \ / \ / o o o o o o o \ / 1 3 5 7 9 11 13 \ ----------------------------------------------------- 4) Note: Unfortunately, every SIO cable we have run across (quite a few) had different colors for each of the wires. The only wire that has been consistent is the chassis ground, which has always been a bare wire (shield drain). 5) The GameLink-II specification does not use all of the SIO lines. Page: 7 of 11 TEMPORARY GAMELINK-II SIO CONNECTIONS (2 NODES) Realizing that users might want to try "MAZE OF AGDAGON" and the GameLink-II system before committing to building or buying a more permanent connection, we offer the following directions. Follow these for a quick, temporary method to connect two Atari 8-bit computers together. 1) Scrounge up two or three paper clips (the smaller size), and a rubber band. 2) Bend and cut the clips into the following shapes with the dimensions shown below. Make sure the cut ends do not have any burrs, as these could damage your SIO cables. <--5/8"--> <--5/8"--> <---7/8"---> ---------- ---------- ------------ ^ | | | | | | ^ | | | | | | | | 1/2" | | | | | | | | | | | | | | 3/4" v | | | | | | | | | | | | v 3) Boot up the Host computer, load the AGDAGON.COM file, and disconnect the serial cable fron the disk drive. The other end of the serial cable should still be connected to your Atari. 4) Get the other Atari ready (monitor or tv connected and turned on, serial cable plugged in). 5) Take the free ends of the serial cables, and wrap the rubber band around the two connectors, so that the free ends face you like the diagram below: ------------------------------- / C \ / o o o o o o \ / \ / o o o o o o o \ / A B \ ----------------------------------------------------- ----------------------------------------------------- \ A B / \ o o o o o o o / \ / \ o o o o o o / \ C / ------------------------------- Page: 8 of 11 6) Now take the first of the two smaller clips you made and gently push it into both pins marked "A" above. If you feel great resistance, do not try to force the pins in, as you may damage the connectors on your serial cable. Since the clips you have made are narrower than the standard Atari pins, they should not accidentally short together any other pins. 7) Take the other clip and push it into the pins marked "B" above. Try to push the two pins in an equal amount. It doesn't matter if the two clips touch each other. 8) Take the remaining (longer) clip you made, and push it into the pins marked "C" above. Be careful not to short it against any other pins. The third clip was intentionally made longer so that it won't be touching the other 2 clips when installed correctly. 9) Place this assembly carefully on the table top and out of the way (don't leave it dangling from the two computers). 10) Turn on the second Atari. It should boot up as described under the "GAME STARTUP" section of the rules. Enjoy the game! 11) You can play multiple games without having to do this procedure before each game (read the rules section). Remember to carefully disconnect the 3 clips from the serial cables when you are done playing for the day. Better turn off all power before disconnecting the cables! Page: 9 of 11 GAMELINK-II SIO Connections (2 OR 3 NODES) The following directions give you some insight into how the GameLink-II system works, and will allow you to create a more permanent connection for two or three player games. They are provided for the more technical user who has suffcient experience to assemble a small hardware project. Non-technical users who wish to buy a multi-node connection should skip to the next section. 1) The easiest way to construct a GemLink-II cable is to purchase a long (6 foot) SIO cable and cut it in half. 2) If more length is needed, the wires can be extended to around 6 feet per node (thus, from one computer to any other would be a maximum of 12 feet). 3) The connections are made according to the following list: pin name source function --- --------- -------- ---------------------- 1 SCLK not used Leave with no connection 2 OCLK not used Leave with no connection 3 SID PARALLEL Connected to all other SID and SOD 4 DGND PARALLEL Connected to all DGND's 5 SOD PARALLEL Connected to all other SID and SOD 6 CGND PARALLEL Connected to all CGND's 7 COMMAND not used Leave with no connection 8 MOTCTL not used Leave with no connection 9 PROCEED not used Leave with no connection 10 +5V not used Leave with no connection 11 AUDIO IN not used Leave with no connection 12 +12V/NC not used Leave with no connection 13 INTERRUPT not used Leave with no connection 4) Both grounds are connected between all systems. 5) Both the SID (Serial Input Device), and SOD (Serial Output Device) lines are connected together from all nodes. This allows any node to transmit data to all other nodes (including itself, if desired). Page: 10 of 11 6) A graphical representation of a 3 node "TRI-LINK" GameLink-II network is shown below, with wires indicated by dashes (-) and vertical bars (|). Junctions shown by asterisks (*): Node-1 Node-2 Node-3 ------ ------ ------ SID(3) SID(3) SID(3) | | | *---------------*---------------* | | | SOD(5) SOD(5) SOD(5) DGND(4) DGND(4) DGND(4) | | | *---------------*---------------* CGND(6) CGND(6) CGND(6) | | | *---------------*---------------* 7) Another method would be to buy SIO sockets, and mount them in a box, or PC board, and connect them as above. This would allow you to use unmodified SIO cables. 8) Vendors for the cables and/or connectors: a) MCM Electronics 650 Congress Park Drive Dayton, OH 45459-9955 (USA) b) BEST Electronics 2121 The alameda Suite 290 San Jose, CA 95126-1127 (USA) c) B&C ComputerVisions 2730 Scott Boulevard Sant Clara, CA 95050 (USA) d) American Techna-Vision 15338 Inverness St. San Leandro, CA 94579 (USA) Page: 11 of 11 GAMELINK-II SIO CONNECTIONS FOR MORE THAN 3 NODES 1) After a fair amount of beta testing and some head scratching, we discovered that an unmodified Atari's POKEY IC lacks the current sinking capability to provide reliable operation when more than three 8-bit computers are linked as described above. 2) An active device (integrated circuit) must be added to provide the necessary current sinking capability. Rather than include some complicated instructions, we plan to offer the following devices for sale to registered owners: a) The OCTO-LINK, which consists of a printed circuit board, populated with the required integrated circuit and two SIO connectors. Unpopulated sites will exist for the addition of up to six additional SIO connectors by the user (SIO connectors available from the vendors listed above). This is ideal for user groups, where the club can purchase one of these for regular meetings. Use of regular SIO cables completes the work. b) The DUO-LINK system. This is available as either the fixed two-player only system (DUO-LINK, or an expandable serial bus system (DUO-LINK buffered). The latter consists of a circuit board with the necessary integrated circuit, and serial cable with two ends. It can link two players together by itself. By purchasing additional cables, pairs of players can be added. The cables link at their middles to other cableswith heavy duty Molex pins and connectors. This arrangement allows 8-bitters to own their own GameLink-II modules, letting them plug together and play at any time without investing in the 8-player board. The TRI-LINK, and TRI-LINK buffered systems are similar to their DUO counterparts, except they provide three system connectors. 3) As you can imagine, AGDA is not a large commercial concern. Previous to February 1, 1994 we will be monitoring our GEnie, CompuServe, Internet, and U.S. Mail addresses hoping for some response. After that date we will order the necessary raw materials to create the first batch of cable LINK systems. We will sell them to the registered shareware customers at a nominal fee to cover all expenses. Keep in touch!