Alivesoft
Presents ... D I N O S A U R P R E D A T O R S (tm)
Welcome, you are about to step back in time and experience nature through
a dinosaur's eyes. Dinosaur Predators is a fun game for any age. First
you select what animal you would like to become and then you try to cross
your habitat collecting as many energy tokens as possible by capturing your
prey while avoiding your predators and outsmarting your competitors.
Dinosaur Predators is a never ending adventure in the fascinating world of
prehistoric Nature. All animals are placed randomly at different screens
so that each game is unique and unpredictable, challenging you every time.
Dinosaur Predators is also a realistic simulation of prehistoric food chain
Ecology. The rules of the game are based on factual prey and predator
relationships. A truly Educational game that balances gaming with
learning. To play the game you must first learn who is your prey and who
are your predators. It also included "Dino-buff", a prehistoric quiz.
Dinosaur Predators features four different groups of animals to choose
from: Jurassic dinosaurs, terror in the swamp, Oviraptor the egg-thief and
Ice age mammals. It includes three difficulty levels to choose from, each
providing increasingly more challenging games, score-keeping, on-line help,
easy Icon-based input and extensive information on each animal and plant.
INDEX
1.................. DISCLAIMER & LIMITED WARRANTY
2.................. COPYRIGHT NOTICE
3.................. SYSTEM REQUIREMENTS AND OPTIONS
4.................. GAME OPERATION
5.................. DOCUMENTATION AND ACKNOWLEDGMENTS
1. DISCLAIMER & LIMITED WARRANTY
This program is provided "as is" and it is without warranty of any
kind that it will work correctly in all situations. No liability
shall be assumed for direct or consequential damage caused by the
use of this software. Defective media returned by the purchaser
within thirty days after the date of purchase will be replaced free
of charge, provided that the returned media has not been subjected
to misuse or damage.
2. COPYRIGHT NOTICE
Your copy of DINOSAUR PREDATORS is licensed for use on a single computer
system only. You may make archival copies of the program for the
sole purpose of backing-up and protecting your investment from loss.
Any commercial use of the program without prior written permission
from the author is prohibited. The source code, object code, library
images and manuals on paper or on disk, are (C) Copyright 1994 by Alive
Software. Game design, programming, graphics and sound by Bill Dedes.
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3. SYSTEM REQUIREMENTS AND OPTIONS
REQUIRES: PC 386 or better and a VGA or EGA card.
OPTIONAL:
* Microsoft Mouse or compatible.
* Sound Effects support for SoundBlaster compatibles and
the PC internal speaker.
4. GAME OPERATION
4.1 CFG_DP
Run CFG_DP.EXE if you wish to change the game settings. Use the
arrow keys to move the highlight, press ENTER to accept a change,
press ESC to cancel an entry.
* Select a sound device: no sound, PC speaker or SoundBlaster card.
* Select a music option: no music, PC music or AdLib/SoundBlaster.
* Select a pointing device option, Mouse or Keyboard.
* Finally select Save Setup. This will create a configuration file
named DP.CFG The purpose of DP.CFG is to simply save the above
selected preferences for future executions of the program. From
then on simply type DP <Enter> to run.
4.2 GENERAL OPERATION
---------
Keyboard: Use the Up, Down, Left and Right arrow keys to move around
--------- and press <Enter> or <Spacebar> to accept selections.
Mouse : To select an option just point the mouse cursor on it and
--------- click.
--------
TO START To start the game just type DP and press <Enter>
-------- Then you will see the opening screen and hear the music theme.
You may press a key or press a mouse button to skip through it next time.
Then select Jurassic Dinosaurs. Now you are ready to play.
----------
NEW GAME Then you select which animal you like to be from three levels
---------- of difficulty.
1. Easy Level: These animals are strong or fast predators and therefore
they have few or no enemies. In this level just follow, your hunting
instincts. This level is recommended for young children or beginners.
2. Medium Level: These animals are mini predators with some enemies
and competitors, so it takes logic and thinking to stay alive.
3. Difficult Level: These animals are at the bottom of the Food chain
and therefore constantly fighting for survival. Try this Level for a
real Challenging game, you are neither strong nor fast. Your only
weapons are your intelligence and your luck.
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4.3 CONTROLS
:--------------:
: QUESTIONMARK : On-line help explaining the game and operation.
:-F1-----------:
:--------------: Food Chain information about animals and plants.
: CHAIN : Select this option and point at any animal on the
:-F2-----------: board to learn about its prey and predators.
:--------------: Facts about animals, plants or places of the current
: ZOOM LENS : game habitat. Exploring facts about the animals is
:-F3-----------: essential for learning and playing the game.
:--------------:
: QUIZ : At any time during a game you can take the "Dino-buff"
:-F4-----------: quiz and add extra tokens.
:--------------:
: MUSIC NOTES : Toggles the sound ON or OFF, if sound was activated
:-F5-----------: to begin with.
:--------------:
: THUNDERBOLT : Breaks the current game and starts a new one.
:-F10----------:
:--------------:
: STOP SIGN : Quits the game and exits to the system.
:-ESC----------:
4.4 THE AIM OF THE GAME
Become one of your prehistoric animal and try to survive, capture as many
prey animals as you can while avoiding your predators. Every time you
capture an animal you get energy tokens ( Calories ) . When you are
captured by a predator you loose twenty energy tokens, so the only penalty
is that your final score will not be as high. You move from West to East.
When you reach the end of a screen you move to the next one. There is a
total of twelve screens to cross. In the last screen your family will be
waiting for you and the highest score is recorded in the Hall Of Fame.
SCORING : Your current Score is displayed at the bottom of the screen.
The accumulated energy tokens stack up until you have collected over 50,
then you are fully "energized" and can move diagonally as well, thus
surprising your prey or escaping your enemies more easily.
TIPS: don't overlook the importance of the "skip a turn" option. Use it
whenever you are stuck or when any other move will result in your capture.
To "skip a turn", when using the keyboard: press <Spacebar>, when using
the mouse: click on your animal itself.
If a predator blocks your path, get close enough, so when it follows
you, you try to lead it away from the path, turn around and escape. If
more than one predators are near by, try to distract them one at a time.
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4.5 DINOSAUR PREDATORS' GAME PHILOSOPHY
* Redeeming value: you play and learn facts about basic Ecology. It
encourages further reading on dinosaurs and other prehistoric animals.
* Positive and Socially responsible: depicts conflict but no violence.
You identify with the animal's struggle to survive by selecting any
animal you wish.
* Great use of graphics and sound to create the illusion of life.
* Challenges your logic skills, not your mechanical reflexes.
* A game for any age, select a level according to your capability.
5. DOCUMENTATION AND ACKNOWLEDGMENTS
Bibliography; Dinosaur data book by David Lambert and and the Diagram
group. Dinosaur Encyclopedia by Don Lessem & Donald F. Glut.
Theme song is a cut from Beethoven's 9th, created by RMI.
Alivesoft, P.O. BOX 4004, SANTA CLARA, CA 95056 U.S.A.
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