This file is 'readme.doc'
Please read this file before installing.
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Chain Reaction(TM) Copyright 1996
Webfoot Technologies, Inc.
ALL RIGHTS RESERVED
Unauthorized duplication of this
software product is prohibited by law!
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Chain Reaction(TM) System Requirements
- 386 or higher recommended
- 4 Megs of RAM memory
- 1 Meg free hard drive space
- VGA graphics card
- MS-DOS 3.0 or higher
(or DOS shell in Windows)
Optional
- SoundBlaster, SB 16/16ASP, SB Pro,
SB 2.0, Pro Audio Spectrum, PAS 16,
Gravis Ultrasound, Audiotrix Pro,
and Audiotrix Pro w/RAM
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IMPORTANT!
To setup your soundcard, you must run
the SETUP program and either choose
'None', or choose the correct
soundcard in your system and choose its
correct address, DMA, and IRQ numbers.
SB16 users must choose the low DMA, not
the high DMA, under the soundcard setup!
Please refer to your system's manuals or
your soundcard's manuals to determine
the address, DMA, and IRQ numbers.
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IMPORTANT! You don't hear any sound?
If you tried to choose your soundcard,
but still hear no sound, check the
following:
1. Have you chosen the correct sound-
card and address, DMA, and IRQ numbers
in the SETUP program?
2. Is your volume turned up, speakers
plugged in and powered up?
3. Do you have a soundcard?
4. Are you inside a vacuum?
Chances are, you have a SoundBlaster
Soundcard, and your address is 220,
your interrupt is 5, and you're using
DMA channel 1.
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SECTION I
Instructions
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Before you start
First, run SETUP in the game directory!
Remember, this is a DOS program!
The game will run from Windows...
simply click on the CHAINR.EXE icon in
the game's directory/folder.
To get going, run the SETUP program.
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Installation: Before Running the Game
First, install the game to your hard
drive. It's best to accept the default
path given the installation program:
C:\GAME\WEBFOOT\CHAINR
FOLLOW THE DIRECTIONS ON SCREEN!!!
The installation program will take you
through the process of choosing a place
on your hard drive to install the game,
choosing your soundcard, and giving you
other valuable information.
Before running the game for the first
time, be sure to configure your sound
card. You can change your sound card
settings at any time by running the
'SETUP' program in the game's directory.
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The game's incredible music requires, of
course, a sound card. Here are some
additional pointers for getting the most
out of some specific sound cards.
If you're using a Pro Audio Spectrum
family sound card, be sure you have the
card's driver specified in the
CONFIG.SYS file. It's best if you can
set the card's DMA channel to a 16-bit
DMA (5, 6, 7). The sound will work with
an 8-bit DMA channel, but it won't sound
as good. Okay, okay, it'll sound really
awful. Sixteen-bit sound requires a
16-bit DMA channel, so there.
Any sound card not mentioned in the
SETUP program might still work, but the
users must set it up to emulate Sound
Blaster or some other card mentioned in
the SETUP program.
Defaults
--------
All this is dreadfully confusing, isn't
it? Okay, the best thing to try first
is to take all the defaults. If it does
not work, then dig into the manuals,
using this information as a guide for
where to look. The most common problem
is multiple cards overlapping use of DMA
channels and interrupts.
Windows(TM)
-----------
This game will run under Windows(TM) 3.x
and Windows 95(TM). Simply double click
on the CHAINR.EXE file located in the
game directory/folder.
IMPORTANT! You will not hear sound if
you run this game from Windows. To hear
the sound effects and music, you will
have to shut down Windows and run the
game from DOS. When you first try to
load from Windows, it will ask you
if you wish to create an icon to start
the game and close Windows. Follow the
directions Windows 95 provides you and
you will be able to launch the game and
close Windows by simply clicking on this
icon.
You can also manually close Windows by
hitting the 'Start' button and choosing
'Shut Down...', then select 'Restart
the computer in MS-DOS mode?' and hit
the 'Yes' button.
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How To Run the Game...
We receive many questions here at
Webfoot from people asking how to start
the games. Well, here's how you do it!
You must first REMEMBER where you
installed the game to on your hard
drive. The installation program will
place the game in the following folder
by default, unless you specify another
location:
C:\GAMES\WEBFOOT\CHAINR
In DOS, CD to the directory containing
this game, and at the DOS prompt type
'CHAINR' to run the game.
<or>
From Windows, double-click on the
CHAINR.EXE icon in the game's folder.
NOTE: You may have to shut down Windows
and run the game from DOS to hear the
sound effects and music!
You can also double-click the WIN-RUN
icon in the game's directory to launch
the game from Windows 3.1 or Windows 95.
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Keyboard Summary
Use the following keys to control the
falling pieces:
Player 1
Key Action
--- ------
, Rotate Up
. Rotate Down
Left Arrow Move left
Right Arrow Move right
Down Arrow Move fast
Player 2
Key Action
--- ------
z Rotate Up
x Rotate Down
c Move left
b Move right
v Move fast
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The Menus
Use the up and down arrow keys to change
menu selections. Hit 'Enter' to
activate your choice.
The Setup Menu
You can change many of the game's
options by choosing 'Setup' from the
main menu.
-Difficulty
-Starting Level (there is a limit)
-Block Set
-Music
-Background on/off
'In Game' Options
While a game is in progress, you can hit
the <Esc>ape key, which shows a pop-up
menu on screen. From this menu, you can
turn the background animations on/off or
change the music.
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Gameplay
The objective is simple:
Rotate and move the falling pieces to
align three or more similar blocks in
any direction: horizontally, vertically,
or diagonally.
When three or more pieces line up, they
will 'explode' and disappear. If there
are any blocks above the exploding
blocks, they will fall into the old
blocks' places. If these pieces that
fall into the newly vacant spots create
explosions of their own, a 'chain
reaction' occurs and bonus points are
awarded.
As each level is reached, the pieces
will fall a little faster!
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1 Player Mode
The playfield will show the score,
current level, and the number of blocks
needed to dissolve in order to advance
to the next level. Also, a preview of
the next piece to fall will be displayed
on the upper right-hand side of the
screen.
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2 Player Mode
Each player competes to force their
opponent's blocks to the top of the
screen first. If a chain reaction is
achieved by one player, the other player
will receive a row of new blocks added
to the bottom of their play area.
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IMPORTANT! You don't have enough free
memory to run the game?
If the game can't find enough free
memory to run, you can make a bootable
floppy that will optimize your startup
files and allow you to play.
After you install the game, type
MAKEBOOT at the command prompt when you
are inside the game's directory. Follow
the instructions on-screen, which will
ask you to place a blank floppy diskette
into your floppy drive. When MAKEBOOT
finishes formatting and creating the
boot diskette, you can reset your
computer with this bootable floppy still
inside the floppy drive.
The bootable floppy will automatically
run the game for you. When you are
finished playing the game, remove this
floppy from your floppy drive and reset
your computer. Your computer will not
boot as usual.
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Other Webfoot Games
TwinBlok
Why save the universe? Better worry
about saving your butt! The Time
Spinners do not look kindly on failure.
They'll yank your status, terminate your
entity, and zap you into the netherest
of the nether regions. Your journey
begins when Executive Time Spinner (ol'
T.S., you know) drops you ill-prepared
and poorly armored into the fray,
fighting off everything the Razerrians
(antiquated holdouts from the Snarr
Sector) can drop, kick or throw at you.
Blast through their defenses, traverse
the 75 levels of time blocks they will
use to impede your travel. They'll
tantalize you with pictures from your
home planet, hurl you through space,
instead of merely time, and dazzle you
with nefarious patterns reminiscent of
the arcades in the Neo-Draconian Sector
in a celebrated age long past. It's no
cakewalk. Some of the time blocks are
deceptive. So what if you fail? So
what, indeed!
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H2O
A mind-teasing original. FORTY levels
of graphics and mind jarring music.
Guide falling droplets to a drainpipe
at the bottom of the screen. You won't
BELIEVE the smooth scrolling playfield!
It's not as easy as it looks, either.
Each level is a new puzzle. H2O runs
under DOS and requires a standard VGA
graphics card. Sound card is optional,
strongly recommended.
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D.R.O.D.: Deadly Rooms of Death
A real 'killer.' More news in the
obituary columns. (Evil laugh)
In order to complete a level, Beethro
must destroy all of the monsters and
find the exit. When all nine levels
have been cleared, Beethro will collect
enough money from King Dugan to retire
from the thankless dungeon
extermination trade and open a
restaurant. 'I'll call it Beethro's
Roasted Roach Grill!'
D.R.O.D. runs under Windows and
features detailed graphics and an
awesome MIDI sound track.
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Interpose
Fulfilling the Webfoot promise of
incredible graphics and music, Interpose
is a stunningly fast scrolling action
game. The action - and that DOES mean
action! - takes place in space. Shoot
3D enemy ships while conserving energy
and fire-power. Over 18 levels packed
with great graphics, music, and
animation.
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Farocar
A strategy game with 200 mind-bending
levels. Includes 3 different choices
of difficulty per level and a full level
editor.
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Hopy-ONE
In the year 2013, seven of the
Planetariums decided to initiate a plan
to eradicate the F.L.V. (Fast Line
Virus), the deadliest strain of mutating
virus in the galaxy. The virus caused
total population decimation on 17
Astrocolonies. No survivor of the
dreaded virus was reported. A team of
researchers assembled to obtain a sample
of the F.L.V. and devise a vaccine
against it. Professor Jonathan Silt was
one of the team members sent to the
dying colonies. He spent 13 years on an
intergalactic base, and was infected,
while learning about the infection of
F.L.V. The bio-droid, HOPY-ONE, was
created in a laboratory Silt had set up
to research the virus. Silt was
cryogenically frozen in 2026. HOPY-
ONE's mission was to collect samples of
the virus to aid in the production of a
vaccine. The fate of Silt, who waits in
cryosleep, and the fate of the entire
universe, rests with HOPY-ONE.
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Keep an eye out for other Webfoot games
available through usual shareware
channels.
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About Webfoot Technologies, Inc.
If you have a great game you'd like
published, or if you're an aspiring
programmer, 3D renderer, artist, or
musician who would like to work on some
games, please contact us!
Webfoot Technologies, Inc.
P.O. Box 15
Lemont, IL 60439
USA
http://www.WebfootGames.com
e-mail: Webfoot@msn.com
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The Credits
Programming
Thomas Pytel (Tran)
Graphics
Dana Dominiak
Thomas Pytel
Music and Sound Effects
Ariel Gross
Support
Pascal Pochol
Publications Editor
Jay A. Gross
ANSI Artist
Jon Shiring
Produced by
Dana Dominiak
Germany/Switzerland/Austria Distribution
Juergen Egeling, Ticsoft
Scandinavian Distribution
Morten Eriksen, Twilight Zone Software
French Distribution
Jean-Michel Martin, TLK Games
Australia/New Zealand
Benjamin Slabak,
Spectrum Pacific Publishing
Special Thanks To:
Charles Scheffold
Ryan Cramer
Mike Speyer
Robert Dominiak
Debra Osborn
Susan Dominiak
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Chain Reaction(TM)
(C)1996 Webfoot Technologies, Inc.
ALL RIGHTS RESERVED
Chain Reaction is a trademark of Webfoot
Technologies, Inc.
All other trademarks
are the properties of their owners.
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