RELEASE DATE:
M O L E Z
v 1.10
Copyright 1997-1998 FRACTiLE Games
� INTRODUCTION �
"You are a mole and your only purpose is to kill the other moles. Playing
MoleZ is a great way to free aggressions. Violence and blood are essential
parts of this game, and there are lots of both! There are many different
weapons, with all have several unique features, to be used as tools for
slaughter. The game is simply as realistic as a 2D mole fighting game can,
without having to compromise in playability."
I used JUDAS sound system (by Cadaver and Yehar) for sounds, rest of the
code is my own!
We have been receiving lots of feedback since MoleZ v0.22. Thank you for
that! We kept your suggestions in mind while developing MoleZ further.
� REQUIREMENTS �
Minimum system:
- PENTIUM 75+ or fast 486DX4
- Fast SVGA graphics adapter. (It's the graphics card's speed what matters
the most, atleast with low processor speed..)
- VBE 1.2 hardware or software compatibility.
- 8MB memory.
- Keyboard helps a lot ;)
Recommended system:
- PENTIUM 100 or faster.
- Fast PCI graphics card with hardware VBE 2.0 support.
- Good stereo sound card.
- Powerfull amplifier and speakers capable of playig low frequencys.
- Old BTC keyboard or some other keyboard, which can handle several multiple
keypresses. Almost all the new keyboards (like keytronics) can handle only
four simultaneous keypresses!
- Good gamepad.
Also supported:
- Gravis Ultasound, Sound Blasters from 1.5 to AWE64, PAS and WSS for sound
effects and musics.
- All normal Gamepads and four button controllers with two (X/Y) axis and
three or more buttons are supported. The controller must be connected to
Joystick port 1.
I strongly recommend playing MoleZ in DOS! It can be played under windows
95/98 and possibly under OS/2, but there are sometimes mysterious problems..
� INSTALLATION �
Installing molez couldn't be any simplier. Just execute the MOLEZnnn.EXE from
the directory you want to install it to. It's ready for use! It detects SB or
GUS if present and correctly installed. However, the autodetection requires
BLASTER or ULTRASND environment variables to be set..
If the game runs too slow on your computer or if you have a super fast
Pentium, you might want to adjust the sound details. Run SETUP.EXE, choose
'sound setup' and adjust the sound quality, musics and the number of mixed
channels to fit your computer's performance.
The game will not be playable with default settings on a minimum system, but
it can be made at least playable by selecting the lowest sound quality and
channels and removing musics from setup.
For more information on optimizing MoleZ for your hardware, read the Trouble
shooting section..
� HISTORY �
MOLEZ v0.10 beta
- Hey, there's nothing NEW here, it's the first released version!
MOLEZ v0.11 beta
- Screenshot to PCX. (Hit F12 during the game..)
- More realistic gravity and air resistance..
- Blood acts more realisticly. (However, it takes lots of processor time!).
- Some minor bug fixes and optimization.
- relative FPS counter (doesn't work under win95)
MOLEZ v0.15 beta
- New menu.
- Keyhelp and credits page.
- Resurrection!
- Pressure waves(?)
- New weapon: Larpa!
- Reloadable weapons. You can't shoot continuosly forever!
- Several cosmetic changes. (more graphics..)
- Some optimization..
MOLEZ v0.22 beta
- Third player!
- New VBE routines (my own!), It now runs also with VBE 1.2!!!!
- New weapons (Mine, Fire Blaster and Sniper Rifle).
- Limited number of clips. (option)
- Transparent optimized explosions.
- Musics!
- Multiple screenshots.. (..works only with LFB, sorry)
- A bug in timer was fixed, it runs much smoother now!
- Lots of little cosmetic changes.
- Changed dos4gw to pmodew! -> a bit less disk space..
- It works better under Win95.
MOLEZ v.1.00
Ok, ok, it's quite a jump in the version numbers, but the game has changed
a lot and there was one unreleased version between.
- Redefinable control keys! Also the default keys are changed -> no more
CRTL-ALT-DEL-effect while playing under Windows 95!
- New weapons: Super shotgun, Gas grenade, Grenade launcher, Blood Seeker,
Flame thrower. (few useless weapons were removed..)
- Power balance between different weapons has been adjusted; Useless
weapons are made more powerfull.
- New better musics.
- The main data file is finally compressed (over 60% smaller!)
- Improved collision check. The moles don't get stuck so often! However
it is annoying when a single pixel blocks your way.
- All known bugs fixed!!! (There was one big! and hundreds of small ones..)
- A 'MoleZ tactics guide' (written by a friend of mine) is now included
in molez archive! (TACTICS.DOC)
- Weapon editor (reg. only!)
MOLEZ v.1.10
- Fourth player using joystick or gamepad.
- Lots of code was rewritten for better performance. Unfortunately this also
means that there may be many new bugs too..
- Weapons' power balance has been adjusted again.
- Few bugs fixed (including the mole-in-a-stone bug).
- Weapon editor is now more user friendly. (Still looks ugly, but now it's
usable)
- Scene builder! Create your own scenes easily(?!)
- New weapons: Plasma gun, SpikeBalls and Mulatov's Cocktail
- Most of the documents are now also in finnish!
- I had to remove the tactics guide, since the writer didn't want to update
it..
� FUTURE �
In following versions I'll try to fix/improve at least these:
- Better Scene builder!! (easier to use)
- Continuous optimizatios and bug fixes..
- More weapons, items and graphics.
- Some computer controlled objects: enemies, machines or something..
� TROUBLESHOOTING �
PROBLEM: message: VBE 1.2 hardware or software support required!
SOLUTION:
This game uses VESA video mode and requires VBE 1.2 compatible graphics
adapter. However, it runs with non-compatible graphics cards, if you use
external software VESA driver, for example Univbe (Scitech Display Doctor).
PROBLEM: message: Valid video mode not found!
SOLUTION:
If the game detects VBE 2.0, try running with option '-vbe12' It forces it
to run using banked mode, and it doesn't initialize LFB. You could also try
using Univbe..
PROBLEM: I hear no sound although I have a supported soundcard!
SOLUTION:
Check that you have correctly set environment variables for the sound card.
(ULTRASND or BLASTER)
Also check that the IRQ is 7 or less, since DOS4GW doesn't support higher
IRQs.
PROBLEM: message: Unable to open file! (<filename>)
SOLUTION:
Check if the file exists in the same directory with the MOLEZ.EXE. If not, try
installing molez again. If the file is still missing, your MOLEZnnn.EXE
archive is damaged! Get a new copy of molez archive from fractile games home
page.
PROBLEM: message: Unable to allocate memory!
SOLUTION:
There's not enough memory available for MoleZ or there's some fatal allocation
error. It there really isn't enough memory, there's not much to do. If you
tried to run the game under some GUI, try again in pure DOS. You could
decrease the memory usage by removing musics (SETUP.EXE). Some disk caching
programs, like smartdrive, might be eating up your memory. Molez is protected
mode game, so it really doen't care much what kind of memory there is. It's
the total ammount of free memory that is essential..
If you can't get enough memory free, you'll just have to buy more of it!
PROBLEM: If one player holds two/three or more keys down the keyboard is
locked and the others can't do anything!
SOLUTION:
There's no easy solution for this one, since the problem is your keyboard. The
wise men at keytronic (and many other keyboard manufacturers) though that
recognizing from two to four simultaneuous keypresses is more than enough!
You could try to redefine the keys from setup (SETUP.EXE), but it may only
help a bit. The best thing to is to buy a good old keyboard witch supports
multiple keypresses.
PROBLEM: The joystick player runs by it self to some direction or it can't
be moved at all..
SOLUTION:
You should adjust the joystick sensitivity in main menu options. Also
make sure that the joystick is centered when running MOLEZ.EXE, since it's
automaticly calibrated during startup. Automatic recalibration is also done
when you change the 'Joystick sensitivity' option, so keep you joystick
centered.
PROBLEM: The game doesn't run smoothly, and if there's lots of objects on the
screen it almost stops.
SOLUTION:
Sorry, it's the poor optimization.. Best thing to do is to buy faster
computer, but since that isn't not always possible, here's few things to try:
- Remove musics from setup (SETUP.EXE). The musics use eight sound channels
and it takes lots of time to mix the sound..
- If you are running under some multitasking operating system (Windows?), boot
your computer in good old DOS.
- One important thing that will speed up the game is to reduce the sound
quality (run SETUP.EXE). By reducing the sound quality the processor time
taken by the sounds can be reduced dramatically!
- If your graphics card supports only VBE 1.2, try using external driver to
make it VBE 2.0 compatible. Using Linear frame buffer is a bit faster than
banked mode!
PROBLEM: Screenshots that I took are all messed up!
SOLUTION:
Screenshots are saved directly from LFB (linear frame buffer). This causes
that it doesn't work with VBE 1.2. To take screenshots you need to have
SVGA card supporting VBE 2.0 or some software driver that enables the LFB.
(like Scitech Display Doctor)
PROBLEM: I have got a problem, but it's not listed here!
SOLUTION:
Contact us. Tell me the basic configuration of your computer and if there
are some special hardware or drivers, let us know about it. If you know
the reason for the problem, but you just can't fix it, tell me all you know
about it!
If you had a problem, but you have already fixed it, you should still contact
me, so I can add the problem to this troubleshooting section..
PROBLEM: I think MoleZ sucks!!!! It's total bullshit!!!
SOLUTION:
Helppo se on yksin sanoo, mutta tuleppa Joukolla...
To see the latest information on MoleZ developement and to get the latest
version, check FRACTiLE Games' homepage at:
-----------------------------
www.vip.fi/~fractile
-----------------------------
� LEGAL THINGS �
We take no responsibility of any damage this product may cause and we can not
be held liable for anything!
This product is protected by international and finnish copyright laws. It is
distributed as UP2UWARE! You may distribute it freely as long as no reward is
taken and the product remains unmodified. If you want to distribute this
product for example on shareware CD or make any kind of financial profit with
the product, you'll need a written permission from the authors. In this case
contact us for further information..
You may test this game for free, but if you like it, you need to register it.
Read the REG_???.DOC for more information on registering the game..
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| YOU MAY FREELY DISTRIBUTE THIS PRODUCT AS LONG AS NO MONEY IS INVOLVED! |
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| IF YOU LIKE THIS GAME, YOU MUST REGISTER IT! |
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� CONTACTING THE AUTHORS �
Best and fastest way to contact FRACTiLE Games is the Email, but you can
always send us a letter..
Email: FRACTiLE Games - fractile@vip.fi
Mikko Rytk�nen (Zodiac) - mikko@fractile.pp.vip.fi
Vesa Savolainen (Death Coil) - dcoil@sci.fi
Miikka Leinonen (Crime) - anaalinuppu@hotmail.com
WWW: http://www.vip.fi/~fractile
Mail Address: Mikko Rytk�nen
S��ksj�rventie 58
33880 Lemp��l�
Finland
All references to a guy named ME point to Mikko Rytk�nen, since he's the one
who wrote this documentation ;)
