FreeFall Online User's Guide

shareware version 1.0
copyright 1996 by Eric Undersander
F R E E F A L L
User's Guide

FreeFall is a simple two-player game. One player tries to land his paratrooper while under fire from the other player's cannon. And if you can land your paratrooper between the flags, a cool bonus game offers you the chance to earn extra points. There are many different levels to choose from, and a variety of options are available to customize gameplay. Below is a step-by-step guide to the game, beginning with the main screen. It may be helpful to try out the actual game before using the step-by-step guide. Links explain features or send you to another screen. Also available is an Index, Setup Info, and Registration/Upgrade info, including how to get your own terrain editor!

Main Screen

unregistered

New Game
Options
Exit

Options

The options screen allows you to customize gameplay. The features discussed here will make more sense to you if you are already familiar with the gameplay.

Game Speed
Handicap
Change-overs
Auto-Release
Exit

Game Speed is self-explanatory. In general, a faster game is more difficult for the paratrooper, whereas a slower game is more difficult for the cannon. Note that the highest speed simply lets the game run as fast as possible, so it may be absurdly fast on a powerful machine.

Handicap allows for players of different skill level to play together. if set towards P1, player 1 will be given the advantage, and vice versa. The extreme left and right positions create the largest handicap.

A Change-over is when the players switch positions and input devices (mouse to keyboard). This can occur as often as every jump attempt, or as rarely as every five. Frequent change-overs are generally better in respect to fairness to each player, but less frequent change-overs result in smoother gameplay.

Auto-release can be set for each individual player. Once your paratrooper jumps out of the plane, it is best to release your parachute before smashing into the ground. If auto-release is on, your parachute will automatically be released at 150 ft. above the flags - the minimum survivable height (there are more details on safe landings in the gameplay section). So why would you want this turned off? Because if you plan to land on ground that is lower then the ground the flag is on, you can release your parachute later. And water landings are survivable from almost any height....

Back To Menu Screen

Game Setup

Before you start a new game, you need to select how many points to play to, and what level to play.

Game to
Level
Cancel | Start

Game To is followed by a number you select. The player that racks up this many points first wins. If your change-overs are set to occur infrequently, it is generally better in respect to fairness to set this number pretty high.

The level is the terrain you will play on, and appears in the background during game setup. The shareware version includes 8 levels; the registered version includes 20. Read the registration/upgrade info if you want more levels (or your own terrain editor).

Game Screen

Below is a representation of the game screen. The sidebars contain the various gauges, etc. Basic gameplay is described in the next paragraph. Important: Maximize this window to properly view the game screen representation.

| i 25 | | 25 i |
| 00 | | 00 |
| i P1 | i[paratrooper] | P2 i |
| | | |
| a ALT i | | d AMMO j |
| | | |
| LM j | | POW i |
| | [cannon]a | |
| PGS | [flags] i | PGS |
| | | |

Basic Gameplay: During gameplay, one player controls the paratrooper with the keyboard, and the other controls the cannon with the mouse. If 'P1' is on the left, then player 1 is controlling the paratrooper, and vice versa. The goal of the paratrooper is to land safely, and landing between the flags grants him a bonus game. The goal of the cannon is to, in short, kill the paratrooper. The gauges in the sidebars provide various information; everything on the left relates to the paratrooper and everything on the right relates to the cannon.

Each round or 'jump attempt' begins as the airplane flies by from the right edge of the screen. The paratrooper can jump out at any point, or wait for another pass. Once the paratrooper is falling towards earth, he is fair game for the cannon. The paratrooper should release his parachute early enough to have a safe landing. After the paratrooper has landed (successfully or not), he may have another jump attempt, he may play the bonus game, the players may switch positions, or one of the players may have earned enough points to win the game.

The paratrooper is controlled by the following keys:

Space Bar: jumps trooper out of plane; ejects parachute

Left and Right Arrows: varies 'pitch' of falling trooper; moves trooper left and right

Up: temporarily slows down descent of trooper ('flairs' parachute)

Esc: Instantly exits game screen. Don't accidentally hit it.

To safely land your paratrooper, you must prevent all of the following from occurring:

-a direct hit from cannon fire (hits the little green man)

-ejecting your parachute less than 150 ft. above the ground*

-bouncing off anything

-falling more than approx. 40 ft. after your parachute rips*

-not ejecting your parachute

*Note: you can survive almost any kind of fall if you land in water.

The cannon uses only the left mouse button. Holding it down charges a shot, and releasing it fires the shot. The current charge is displayed on the power bar. The bigger the charge, the faster the bullet travels. Hitting the parachute or strings of the paratrooper 'rips' his parachute, while actually hitting the little green man kills him instantly. It is a good idea to go for the latter even after ripping his parachute.

The flags mark where the paratrooper must land to play the bonus game.
The bonus game rewards a player for landing his paratrooper between the flags by giving him a chance to earn extra points. The goal here is to kill yourself as many times as possible by bouncing off cliff ledges and walls.

Scoring:The numbers above P1 and P2 represent each respective player's score. The smaller number at the very top is what the game is being played to. At the end of each jump attempt or bonus game, the following are rewarded:

5 points to the trooper if he lands safely on solid ground

3 points to the trooper if he lands safely in water

3 points to the cannon if the trooper dies through his own error

5 points to the cannon if it indirectly causes the trooper's death (rips his chute)

7 points to the cannon if it directly causes the trooper's death (bullet hits him)

1 point to the trooper every time he dies in the bonus game 'ALT.' is the paratrooper's altimeter, in a sense. It is important to note that the value displayed is the trooper's height above the flags, and if you're landing on a cliff above the flags, or on an area below them, this reading is not exactly accurate.

'LM' stands for Life Monitor. Figure it out.

'PGS' sounds similar to GPS, or Global Navigation System.... but unlike GPS, PGS serves no real purpose (hence its name - Pointless Guidance System). The little red screen is basically a miniature representation of the terrain (created using the software's extensive radar capabilities), and on the cannon's, a blinking dot represents the paratrooper. Later versions of FreeFall may have levels that will simulate nighttime, in which case these little red screens will be your only point of reference.

'AMMO' displays how many bullets have been fired. When all available bullets have been fired, the Reloading ('R') light will appear. As soon as a bullet goes beyond the edge of the playing area, or strikes anything solid, it becomes available to fire again.

'POW.', or Power, represents the current charge of the cannon. Bullets fired will travel at different speeds based on the size of the charge.

Back To Menu Screen

Index

ALT., altitude
ammo
auto-release
bonus game
basic gameplay
cannon objectives
cannon controls
change-overs
flags
game setup
game speed
gameplay
game screen
game to:
handicap
level
LM, life monitor
installation/setup
main screen
more levels!
paratrooper objectives
paratrooper controls
pgs
POW., power bar
registration/upgrades
setup/installation
terrain editor

Setup Information

Setup is very simple. Put all the files associated with this game in one directory (screens will load slower if run off a floppy disk). If you would like to launch this game from Windows, create a program item for freefall.exe (you can use one of the following files as an icon: ff_icon1.ico, ff_icon2.ico, ff_icon3.ico). Enjoy.

Registration and Upgrade Information

FreeFall is shareware; this means it is free to you for 30 days. After this period is over, I ask that you give it to a friend or anyone who would enjoy it. If you would like to have your very own registered copy, there are two options available:

1) for $10.00 , you will receive a registered copy of 'FreeFall', which includes any revisions made since the release of this version. In addition, you'll receive 12 new levels - thats 20 in all!

2) for $15.00 you will receive everything mentioned above, plus a terrain editor to make your very own levels!

To order, write a check in the appropriate amount, payable to Eric Undersander,and mail it to:
Eric Undersander
2529 Springhill dr.
Grapevine, Tx 76051

What to include with the check:

- your e-mail address. All orders will arrive via e-mail.

- your full name only if you want your name to appear on the main screen (so everyone knows its yours). Be sure to tell me whether or not you want this.

Before ordering, you might want to e-mail me to confirm the above information. The terrain editor will be available by 11/1/96. The mailing address should be valid until the year 2000 or longer.

If you have taken the time to register this game, I would like to sincerely thank you. I, as a player and a designer, think shareware is a great way to market software, and its continuing success relies on people like you.

Eric Undersander � undersan@netarrant.net