(Comp.sys.hp48)
Item: 2011 by dougc@bert.cs.byu.edu [Douglas R. Cannon]
Subj: DIAMONDS 1.0 DEMO (A HOT new game for the HP48!)
Date: 27 Oct 1992

Well, hello everybody!

If you have seen and played Diamonds for the Macintosh by Oliver Dreer, then
you are in luck, because you already know how to play!  (If you haven't I
strongly recommend it!  It's a great game).  With permission from Oliver,
I have written Diamonds for the HP48.  The main code is written completely
in Machine Language, and is, in fact, my first attempt at a serious ML
project.

I would like to be brief here, so I will try to cut down on useless talk.
First of all, this is only a demo.  You will notice many things that are
either disabled, or not yet implemented (mostly that).  Here are a few
things that don't work in the demo, but will be implemented in the final
version:

Scoring -- no scoring in the demo.
lives   -- you only get one life in the demo, sorry.  This is especially
           annoying, because if you fail to get some of the first bricks,
           you have to start over.  Hey, it's only a demo!
Levels  -- only two levels in the demo.  The final will come with at
           least 15, plus I plan to release an editor so you can easily
           create your own levels.
Keys    -- You will be able to change the defalut keys in the final,
           plus there will be a key to turn off sound, etc.
Sound   -- The demo has great sound, but it will improve for the final.
           If you want to turn off the sound, then turn it off via
           MODES menu before you play.
[ON] key - Pressing this only pauses the game while you hold it down.
           If you want to quit, press [Q].

Checksum - Don't panic if you notice that the checksum is different every
           time you play.  OK, I admit it!  It's self-modifying code.  It
           is, however, safe, and this won't happen in the final version.

PICT    -- PICT is destroyed.  Sorry.

Remember, this is my first attempt at such a large ML project.  I am 
reasonably certain that nobody will be losing their RAM over this.  If you
do, please let me know and why you think it happened.  

--------------------------------------------------------------
THE PROGRAMS:

PLAY:  Run this to play Diamonds!
ABOUT: Run this to see the about stuff.
BD:    Just a regular old PICT GROB (playing board)  I don't recomend that
       you modify this.
DML:   This is the ML code.  DO NOT EXECUTE THIS BY ITSELF.  If you have
       no PICT defined, this could be dangerous.  Otherwise you're OK.
       This won't be so dangerous in the final release.

The whole directory is about 4.5 Kbytes

--------------------------------------------------------------

HOW TO PLAY:

Keys:   [A] - move left
        [F] - move right
        [Q] - Quit

The idea is to knock out all the bricks, including the diamond bricks.
Notice at the right of the screen, there is a brick outside of the playing
field.  This is your "current" brick mode.  You can only knock out bricks
that look like that one.  When you first start a level, you must get all
the blank brick first, because you can't ever return to this mode.

Changing your current brick mode:  Notice that some of the bricks are totally
black on the right side.  These are key bricks.  If you hit one, then your
brick mode is changed so that you can now knock out bricks that look similar
to the key.  (notice that the brick to the right of the screen shows your
new brick mode).

Once you have successfully knocked out all the bricks, you can start on the
diamonds.  When you have finished all the diamonds, then you have completed
the level!

Special bricks:

Watch out for the cross bricks!  They will kill you.

There is a double-arrow brick.  This will change the direction that the keys
will move you.  When you hit one of these bricks (only on level 2 in demo)
then suddenly [A] moves right and [F] moves left.  If you hit another one,
then the keys return to normal.  (I noticed after a while that my double-
arrow brick really looks like a capitol I in parenthesis.  Oh well, I tried.
I'll have to improve this).

That should be all you need to know to play!

Have fun!  And, please, let me know how you like it!

dougc@bert.cs.byu.edu

----------
Resp: 1 of 1 by ervin@pinbot.enet.dec.com [Joseph James Ervin]
Date: 28 Oct 1992


Hello all!

Let me be the first to congratulate Doug Cannon on what is destined to
be one of the best games so far for the HP48.  

I downloaded his DIAMONDS 1.0 DEMO last night, and from the moment I
first hit the PLAY button, I was hooked. 

I've no idea whether Doug came up with the original concept for 
Diamonds, but it's great, and it is exactly the type of game that 
needs to be written for the HP48.

It utilizes nice "still" graphics to give the game visual appeal, but the
actual game-play depends on only simple animation, which lends itself
well to a slow machine like the HP48.

Doug has taken a great idea and executed it wonderfully.  

I tip my hat to you, Doug.

Regards,

>>>Joe Ervin  [author of DISS and VADERS. -jkh-]