|<-------------------------------------------------------------------------->| The KFS and Studio Rtype present: .@@@@@@.@@. .@@@@. .@@@@@. .@@@@@. .@@@@. .@@@@@. .@@@@@@@@@. .@@@. .@@@@@@@@@@@ @@@@@@. @@@@@@@ @@@@@@@. @@@@@@ @@@@@@@ @@@@@@@@@@@ @@@@@ @@@@" "@@@ "@@@@@@."@@@@@" "@@@@@@@. "@@@@" @@@@@@" "@@@ "@@" @@@@@ @@@@ @@@@@@. @@@ .@@@@@@. @@@ .@@@" @@@ ... @@@@@ "@@@@@.. @@@"@@@.@@@ .@@@""@@@. @@@ .@@@" @@@@@@@@. @@@@@ ""@@@@@@.. @@@ "@@@@@@ .@@@" "@@@. @@@.@@@@. @@@@@@@@" "@@@" ""@@@@@. @@@ "@@@@@ .@@@@@@@@@@@@. @@@@@@@@@. @@@ """ "@@@" @@@@ @@@ "@@@@ .@@@@@@@@@@@@@@.@@@@""@@@@. @@@ @@@ @@@. .@@@@ .@@@@. "@@@.@@@@" "@@@@@@@. "@@@@@. .@@@ .@@. ... @@@@@@@@@@@" @@@@@@ @@@@@@@@@. .@@@@@@@@. .@@@@@@.@@@@@@@@@@@ @@@@@ "@@"@@@@@@" "@@@@" "@@@@@@@" "@@@@@@" "@@@@" "@@@@@@@@@" "@@@" SNAKE! FAQ and information for version 2.83 FAQ version 1.3 (Updated on Dec. 18, 2008) (c)2001-2008 The KFS/Studio Rtype/Rom Hunter Questions and comments: info@theKFS.com Snake was made using Adobe Director, and exported to Mac OS X and Windows as a self-contained "projector". Director isn't really a very well-made program, and I wouldn't recommend that anyone really get into it. There are a lot of bugs and inconsistencies in the interface, and it can be annoying to use. I guess that is because Adobe's Flash is so ubiquitous that nobody really cares about sorry old Director any more. It's sad, because Flash is kind of sloppy, and they keep making ActionScript more difficult for people who aren't hard-core code writers to deal with. But oh well. I wrote SNAKE! back when Director was cool and we were learning Lingo (Director's language). Then I found it seven years later and I thought it was still pretty fun, but needed some tuning up. Here it is. +-----------------------------------+ | | | Table of Contents | | | +-----------------------------------+ I. How to play II. Scoring III. Bonus Eggs IV. Tips V. FAQ VI. Acknowledgements +-----------------------------------+ | | | I. How to Play | | | +-----------------------------------+ 1. The Title Screen When you start SNAKE!, you are brought to the Title screen, where some brief instructions will display. You can click the "S" button on the right side of the screen to view the "TopSnakes" leaderboard. (You can also use the Right Arrow key.) Likewise, clicking the "I" button to the left, the scroll will return to the instructions. You can click the "I" to page through the instructions quickly. (Also, the Left Arrow Key will work). Notice the little "Get Scores" button in the lower left corner? This button will activate the internet scoring feature. That is, it will load the global SNAKE! leaderboards, so you can see how you stack up. With this button activated, SNAKE! will also send any high scores of yours to be saved. You can click on the copyright info to open the KFS website in a browser window. Click the PLAY button in the lower corner of the title screen to start a game. You can also press ENTER or RETURN. You will be brought to the Name Entry screen. 2. Name Entry At the Name Entry screen, you can use A through Z, period ".", dash "-", and underscore "_", to enter a name for yourself. You get up to four characters with which to personalize yourself. If you mistype, just type your four characters over again, and they will replace the old ones. Note that the default "****" can be used as a name if you do not wish to enter one. However, scores with this name will be purged from the leaderboard every so often. Then press a number 1 through 9 (or press Enter to use the currently displayed speed level). This will start the game, and select your speed of play. 2.5 Expert Mode If you want an additional challenge, hold the Shift Key as the game starts, and you will be put into "Expert Mode". The Snake will start with a much longer tail, and a few other game elements will be altered as well. As a reward, if you make the Top Snakes leaderboard, your name will be shown with an exclamation point. In this FAQ, anything differing from normal play while in Expert Mode will be shown with the tag [#EX]. 3. The Game So the object of the game is to get a high score. I know, old school, right? Scoring will be covered more in-depth in the next section. For now, suffice it to say that eating eggs is the main point of the game. 4. Controls The Snake will always move forward at the selected level of speed. You must guide the snake toward the eggs without having him collide with either his own body, or with the sides of the screen. It's pretty simple. You can use the Arrow Keys to change heading, or the < and > keys to change direction (actually the "," and "." keys-- don't hold shift when pressing them). Here is an ASCII art diagram: /+-----+ GO / | ^ || NORTH | | | || | +-----+| +/-------+ /+-----+ /+-----+ /+-----+ /+-----+ /+-----+ / | < || | > || GO / | || | | || | || GO | | , || | . || WEST | | <-- || | V || | --> || EAST | +-----+| +-----+| | +-----+| +-----+| +-----+| +/-------+/-------+ +/-------+/-------+/-------+ TURN TURN GO LEFT RIGHT SOUTH Note that the Left and Right turns are always the Snake's left and right, so you could also think of < as Counter-clockwise, and > as Clockwise. Also, note that when the Snake is on a vertical heading, pressing the Up or Down Arrow keys won't have any effect, as the Snake cannot move backwards, and it is already going forwards. Likewise, the Left and Right Arrow keys won't have any effect if the Snake is already on a horizontal heading. That should be pretty obvious. 5. Gameplay The Snake eats eggs by running into them. The snake dies by running into itslef, or the edge of the screen. Generally, only the head of the Snake is tested for these collisions. So keep your eye on the head. Bonus Eggs appear if you eat the regular eggs efficiently, that is, don't spend a lot of time running around not eating eggs. The Snake has a maximum length of 120 segments. This is quite long, but also not impossible to obtain. At this point, further eggs will not be added to the length, but instead will increase the play level by one (max 20), and increase the Snake's speed by one half (max 9). When the Snake collides with something and the game ends, the final score will be tallied, and the game will end. At this point, you can click on the "Get Scores" button if you hadn't before, to send your score to the online leaderboard. Otherwise, press the Enter/Return key or click anywhere else, to return to the Title screen. +-----------------------------------+ | | | II. Scoring | | | +-----------------------------------+ 1. Regular Scoring Every time the Snake eats a regular egg, you gain points equal to the current level. So, if you start play at a speed of 5, each egg is worth 5 points. If the level changes during play, such as with a Level-Up Bonus Egg, then the point value of each egg also changes. Regular eggs generally stay put until the Snake eats them. There are some rare circumstances where an egg might be inaccessible, however (See Petrify-o in Section III: Bonus Eggs). If an egg isn't eaten for a long while, it will reset to a new location. When this happens, the Snake's level will go DOWN by 1, so it's only a good idea to wait out an egg if you really can't get to it. [#EX The eggs will reset in about half the normal time.] 2. Exceptions Though the Snake's speed is always between 1 and 9, the Snake's level is capped at 20. If the Snake eats a Regular Egg while a Bonus Egg is on screen, the Bonus Egg disappears, and you get a few extra points. The amount goes down the longer the the Bonus Egg was on screen. The Bonus Eggs offer alternate means of scoring as well. They are covered in the next section. 3. Ending Tally When the Snake finally meets its demise, the first thing that happens is you score based on the final length that was acquired. Normally, this is points equal to one quarter of the current level [#EX one half the current level] for each snake segment, starting from the end of the tail. If the Snake perished after eating the "?" Bonus Egg, while there is still a bulge in one of the segments, then the segment with the bulge is worth 10 times the current level, and the segments thereafter are worth twice as much as they were before the bulge. (Example: The Snake is 20 segments long, not including the head, and the level is 6 when the snake hits the side of the screen. It had just eaten a "?" Egg, and the bulge had traveled 8 segments before it died. The Ending Tally would include 1.5 points each for the 12 segments before the bulge, 60 points for the bulge itself, and 3 points each for the 7 segments in between there and where the head used to be. So 18 + 60 + 21 = 99 points added to the score at the time of death.) 4. Petrified Segments (Rocks) When the Snake eats the Petrify-o Bonus Egg, segments on the end of its tail turn into stone (More info in the Bonus Eggs section). If these "rocks" are on screen when the game ends, you are awarded points for each one. Rocks are scored at their current "rate", which is an invisible number which was kept track of throughout the game. The starting value for rocks when the game begins is 20 points. After each one is scored at the end of the game, the rate goes up by 5 points. Therefore, if there are four rocks on screen when the Snake dies, then you would receive 20 + 25 + 30 + 35 = 110 points (assuming no other rocks had come and gone during the course of play, thus altering the rate). 5. Stranded Bonus If there is a Bonus Egg still on screen when the game ends, you are rewarded a big chunk of points, 25 times the current level. 6. Multiplier In some games, the multipliers affect scores as they are added. In SNAKE!, the multiplier is applied at the end of the game. This means that all the points scored from the begining are multiplied, even if there was no multiplier in effect at that time. After the Ending Tally, the multiplier counts up, one tenth at a time. Sure, it would be quicker and easier to just do the whole thing at once, but I think it's more fun to watch the score climb. I mean, that's how pinball machines do it. +-----------------------------------+ | | | III. Bonus Eggs | | | +-----------------------------------+ These helpful items appear when the Snake is quick about eating regular eggs. Thus, as the Snake's tail gets longer, it becomes harder to get to the next egg in a timely manner, depending on where it appears. Once the Bonus Egg appears on screen, it will disappear after a short while if not eaten. There is no Level-down when this happens. The only bad thing is you have to wait for the next one. Sometimes the Bonus Egg will be a "Rotating Bonus". It cycles through the different types of bonuses, in order. If you are skillful, you could even time when the Snake eats it, to get the bonus you want. Certain Bonus Eggs ONLY appear in the Rotating Bonus. Also, note that any Bonus Eggs that appear when your score is below 50 will be the Rotating type. 1. Small "M" - Adds a progressive amount to your Multiplier. This one seems like a drag at first, but they can really add up. The first time you get one, it is worth only +0.2 to the multiplier. But their value goes up for each concurrent Small M you get. So if you get four in a row, they will be worth +0.2, 0.4, 0.6, and 0.8, for a total of +2.0! After eating a different type of Bonus Egg, the Small M will reset to +0.2 again. 2. Plus Sign - Adds segments to the Snake's tail, but at a point premium. This item will tack on 4 segments, and give you the points equivalent to eating 15 eggs [#EX tacks on 8 segments, gives points for 40 eggs]. If the Snake reaches its maximum length of 120 segments, then each segment NOT added to the tail is worth an additional 5 eggs' worth of points. Example: You are currently at Level 6, playing in Normal Mode. Snake eats a Plus Sign bonus. 4 segments are added to its tail, and 6 x 15 = 90 points are given. But let's say that the Snake was 2 segments away from maximum! Then, only 2 of the segments can be added, and the other 2 are converted to 6 x 5 = 30 points each. So 30 + 30 + 90 = 150 points are given. 3. Minus Sign - Removes tail segments. No points are removed, just segments. These items can help if the tail is really getting in your way. Each time you eat one, 8 segments will be removed [#EX only 5 segments]. 4. Level Up - Increases the Snake's Level. This makes the current level go up by one, thus upping the value of each regular egg. [#EX Also, the Snake's speed is increased by one-half point (maximum speed of 9)] The maximum level is 20. After that, this item gives you 200 points. 5. Speed Down* - Decreases the Snake's speed by one-half point. That's it. It just makes the Snake move slightly slower. The level and egg point-values are not affected. *This item does NOT appear in the Rotating Bonus Egg. 6. "?" - Creates a bulge in the Snake's body, poops out a Special M. The ? egg can be quite valuable. After swallowing, it runs traverses the Snake's entire body, adding 1 point for each segment it passes through. You can eat regular eggs during this time, and the ? will pass through those new segments as well. When it finally comes out the other end, it will be a "Special M" bonus, which adds an amount to the Multiplier based on the length of the Snake's tail. The Special M is worth roughly +0.1 for each 6 segments (minimum +0.2), but segments from eggs that you eat while the ? is in transit are more valuable, especially in [#EX]. 7. Large "M"** - Adds to the Multiplier. This will add an amount to the Multiplier based on the current level. Such that, if the level is 4, it will give you +0.4, or if the level is 7, +0.7 will be added. And so forth. **This item ONLY appears in the Rotating Bonus Egg. 8. Deformo** - The Snake's head grows and egg values are doubled. Deformo is a strange bonus. It is dangerous, because the large head makes it quite easy to run into the tail segments. However, all eggs eaten during this time have their values increased, including Bonus Eggs. Here is a semi-comprehensive list of what happens to eggs during Deformo: Regular egg: point amount is doubled Small "M": Double the current value, and add 0.2 to the value of the next Small M [#EX Triple value, adds 0.3] Plus Sign: Add 6 segmemts, 30 eggs' worth of points [#EX 12 segments, 120 eggs' worth of points] Minus Sign: Remove 16 segments [#EX 15 segments] Level Up: Level +2 [#EX Level +3] Speed Down: Speed reduced by one full point "?": 2 points for each segment the ? goes through, and the Special M doubles in value [#EX 3 points per, and M triples] Large "M": Worth twice as much, i.e. +1.4 at level 7 Deformo: Snake's head stays large, most egg values TRIPLE. [#EX QUADRUPLE] Petrify-o: Petrifies 8 tail segments [#EX 18 segments (16 max, see below)] Also, these segments can be eaten during Deformo (see below). Resurrecto: Appears twice as big, thus gives a longer duration of immunity once activated. [#EX It's huge!] Tongueler: Gain a longer tongue, for a longer time. Also, the tongue's size will be in proportion with the Deformo head size. **This item ONLY appears in the Rotating Bonus Egg. 9. Petrify-o** - The end of the Snake's tail is turned to stone! Upon eating a Petrify-o Egg, the last 4 segments of the Snake's tail will become Rocks [#EX 6 segments]. The game will end if Snake runs into a rock, the same as if it were the tail, unless the Snake is experiencing Deformo. As mentioned in an earlier section, the rocks have a "rate" attached to them, and at the game's start, the rate is 20. If you manage to get Deformo and eat one of the rocks, you will gain the current rate's worth in points, as well as a level increase of 1 (if you are already at level 20, then instead you will be given +0.2 multiplier!). Then, the rocks' rate goes up 10 points. Example: Snake ate a Petrify-o in Normal Mode and created 4 rocks. Then, it ate a Deformo, and went straight over to eat all four. You gain 20 + 30 + 40 + 50 = 140 points, and Level +4. WOW! Note that the "rate" then is 60 points, if future rocks should come into play. There is a maximum of 16 rocks. If you get Petrify-o and hit the maximum, then for each rock that should have appeared, but didn't, you receive half of the current level's worth of Multiplier. Example: You are at level 8, and there are 12 rocks on screen in Expert Mode. Snake eats a Petrify-o while in Deformo. This would normally add 12 more rocks, but instead it adds 4, and you get a +3.2 multiplier gain. **This item ONLY appears in the Rotating Bonus Egg. 10. Resurrecto** - Allows the Snake a limited-time immunity. Eating this item puts a Resurrecto icon on the screen. If Snake runs into something that would normally cause a Game Over, instead Resurrecto is activated, and the icon begins to shrink, sounding a warning. During this time, the Snake can move through obstacles, and leave the screen altogether (It will wrap around and re-enter on the opposite side.) If the Snake is off-screen or overlapping an obstacle, such as its own tail, when Resurrecto finishes, then the game will be over like normal. You have about 8 moves in Resurrecto, normally. Eating Resurrecto before the first one gets activated will add to its size, thus giving you roughly another 8 moves before it shrinks away. [#EX Resurrecto shrinks twice as fast.] **This item ONLY appears in the Rotating Bonus Egg. 11. The Tongueler** - Snake sticks out its tongue. After consuming this item, Snake can use its tongue to eat eggs for a while. Eating regular eggs with the Tongueler grants you the same amount of points as usual, however, the Bonus Eggs will appear more fequently. If you get a second Tongueler, it will protrude further, allowing Snake to even eat across obstacles. Bonus Eggs will appear even more frequently than before! Eating Bonus Eggs with the Tongueler has no alternate effect, though it does sort of help you get to them quicker. **This item ONLY appears in the Rotating Bonus Egg. +-----------------------------------+ | | | IV. Tips | | | +-----------------------------------+ Here are some techniques I use to get a good score. 1. Double Back: By having the Snake double back on itself when its tail is long, it keeps the segments close together, and makes it less likely for eggs to appear in areas that aren't immediately accessible. 2. Eat Rocks: Use Petrify-o > Deformo when you can, to really crank up your level as well as your score. 3. Don't Fear the Plus: The Plus Sign might seem like the least helpful item, because it makes your tail longer. But the point premium is high, and a longer tail will help you if you get a ? Bonus Egg soon after. 4. Suicide Run: I generally don't use Resurrecto on purpose, but if there is a good bonus, like the ? Egg, and it is in danger of disappearing because the tail is blocking the way, I say go ahead and use it. Also, if it activates unintentionally, you might be able to use the remaining time to wrap around to the other side of the screen and get to an egg quicker. Any other tips? I'm sure I'll think of some later. Or you can send me yours, to snake@theKFS.com +-----------------------------------+ | | | V. FAQ | | | +-----------------------------------+ Q: How exactly are the Bonus Egg appearances timed? A: Well, imagine there is a timer in the game that starts at 0, and it counts backwards 1 tick every time the Snake moves, going rapidly into the negative. Also, every time Snake eats a regular egg, the timer jumps up 45 ticks. When the timer reaches 100, a Bonus Egg will appear. So, basically, if you can get from one egg to the next in less than 45 steps, you are helping the Bonus Egg along. Q: I ate all those eggs while the "?" Bonus was going through the tail, but no other Bonus eggs are appearing. Where are they? A: While the "?" is in the Snake's body, the regular eggs add to the Special M amount, rather than helping the next Bonus Egg along. You can even eat regular eggs after the Special M appears, and it won't disappear as would any other Bonus Egg. Once you the Special M, the "timer" described above reverts to 0, and you continue on as normal. If you let the Special M disappear by waiting too long, however, then the aforementioned timer does NOT reset, and you'll have to get a few more regular eggs to make up the time! Q: Speaking of Special M, how exactly is that working? A: OK, so you eat the "?" egg, and its value starts at 0, and adds 1 for each segment it passes through. During its journey, any egg you eat will immediately add 1.8 [#EX 2.8] to its value (plus another 1 when it passes through the new segment that you got for eating the egg-- after the Special M comes out, if you catch another regular egg, you'll get the 1.8, but not the extra 1, because the "?" won't move through that segment.) (Using the tongueler makes each egg's amount much higher!) So, upon eating the Special M, take this value and divide by 6. The result, rounded to the nearest tenth, is added to the Multiplier. Q: When a new Bonus Egg is placed, what are the odds of each type being the one that appears? A: Rotating Bonus - 30% Small "M" - 20% Plus Sign, Minus Sign, Level Up, Speed Down, "?" - 10% each Q: What order does the Rotating Bonus cycle through? A: Small "M" -> Plus Sign -> Minus Sign -> Level Up -> "?" -> Large "M" -> Deformo -> Petrify-o -> Resurrecto -> Tongueler -> Small "M" -> (etc.) Q: It wouldn't let me enter a well-known swear word as my name. Why? A: I thought it would be funny to overtly censor you. Since the name entry is four-letter, I could just see people putting in swear words, thinking themselves to be soooo clever. This forces them to actually think of an interesting way to use vulgar language to describe themselves. Q: Can the Snake lick the petrified segments? A: Yes. You'll get a few points too. Q: Can the Snake lick the UFO? A: I don't know what you're talking about. Any other questions? E-mail them to snake@theKFS.com +-----------------------------------+ | | | VI. Acknowledgements | | | +-----------------------------------+ Well, I did most of this on my own, but I would like to acknowledge the input of Josh "Apelust" for recommending that the Speed and the Level be separate. In the original game, the points-per-egg was always the same as the speed, but I think it's more fun this way. Also I should point out that it was Matthew Billings who ruled the school at the early versions of this game. He also was the one who demanded that the online leaderboard be included as it is here. And thanks to all who took the time to give the game a try. I know it's kind of sad that it's a Director app, and not an actual stand-alone game. Maybe someday I will learn to code Java or C+ or something. |<-------------------------------------------------------------------------->|