          .          .        
  
      .  ***  *****  ***   ***     .
        *   *   *   *   * *   *
        *     . *   *   * *   *
        *       *   *   * *   *  .
    +    ***    *   ***** ****
       .    *   *   *   * *   *
            *   *   *   * *   *  +
        *   *   *   *   * *   *
         ***    *   *   * *   *.
  .          +
         ***   ***   ***   ****
        *   * *   * *   * *
        *     *   * *     *        .
      . *     *   * *     *
        *   . ***** *  ** *****
        *     *   * *   * *
        *     *   * *   * *   .
     .  *   * *   * *   * *
         ***  *   *  ***   ****   +
          +            .    

               Ver.1.0. 
             August, 2006. 
     
           Table of Contents
       -------------------------
      |  1. About The Game      |
      |  2. Running The Game    |
      |  3. Credits             |
      |  4. Troubleshooting/Q&A |
      |  5. Contact             |
       -------------------------


1. About The Game
=================

Star Cage is a top down space shooter featuring 
"Seek & Destroy" type of engine, where the camera 
follows your ship while everything else rotates
and scrolls.

It can be played in single or two players
simultaneously mode, featuring split screen view.

Star Cage also features two game modes. The main
one, where your goal is to overcome the hordes
of unfriendly alien space ships in order to
escape a mysterious imprisonment and a special
head on head mode for two human players only, 
where your goal is simply to kill the opponent.

This game was inspired by an Amiga game whose
title I don't seem to remember correctly. It's
something in the line of "Transplants", if not
exactly that. I was a rather small game since 
it came on a 3.5" DD floppy disk with 2 other
games, all obscure. My memory of the game is
not very clear, but I know for sure it featured
exactly this kind of engine, with a circular play
field and two players split screen mode. It
was a rather fun game but not very difficult.
I remember the game didn't have an ending and
me and my brother playing it over and over to
get all the upgrades. The design of the enemies 
was very unique, organic looking. Something 
that's hard to recreate. I'm probably thinking 
of the game more than it really is, but I'm pretty 
sure the gameplay of Star Cage ended up lacking 
Transplants' strange addictiveness and 
unpredictability. Star Cage turned out to be
more a game of, well, seek & destroy, which
is funny since that was not my goal and I never 
played the game of that title, mentioned earlier.
Also, I think Transplants' rotation routine was
superior to the one I used in Star Cage. Oh, 
well.

Still, in many ways I managed to accomplish what 
I originally imagined. I fully recreated the
mechanics of the imagined engine and the game
is playable and challenging. Since this is yet 
another sudden project of mine, I can't expect 
more.

This game is FREEWARE. I take NO responsibility 
for any damage or loss of data etc. that may occur 
by installing/using this software. As FREEWARE, I 
offer no liability to provide maintenance of the 
software or technical support. You are allowed to 
share this software in its original state but are 
not allowed to make money on it. 

All the original content in this game is 
copyrighted, from the title, graphics, music to 
story. You are not allowed to use it in your own 
projects, freeware or not. The engine and the code 
is public domain. Feel free to use in your projects, 
partially or entirely. Butcher the code, copy and 
paste, whatever. I don't care.


2. Running The Game
===================

Star Cage is a Windows 32-bit application so you 
shouldn't have problems running it on any Windows 
version from and including Windows 95. Just double 
click on StarCage.exe.

Star Cage should work on a 486 but the game isn't 
able to run with optimum set speed of 33 FPS in 
two players mode on my PC, which is a Pentium III 
866 Mhz. Still, I think this is more related to 
DirectX and video cards in general. If your video
card is not older than 5 years you should be fine. 
Which is not the case with me. :P


3. Credits
==========

Programming, graphics and design: Dean Janjic(a.k.a. 
                                  Lachie Dazdarian)

Music: Dean Janjic(sorry about that :P)

Sound effects: Various public domain resources

Game font: Chris Chadwick(from his PP256 utility)

Non-original code: 
Ryan Szrama's name inputting routine
Neo's password encrypting routine
R.E.Lope's sprite collision routine(AFlib 2 built-in)
D.J.Peters' rotation routine(AFlib 2 built-in)
Adigun Polack's AFlib 2 ver.1.0 original routines 
and packing of non-original routines

The source code was compiled in FreeBASIC ver.0.16. 
I had to put some effort to compile the code in 
that version but I'm glad I done it.
GFXlib 2, a FreeBASIC's gfx library by Angelo 
Mottola was used for keyboard and graphics support. 
Also, AFlib2 relies on it. A lot.
AFlib2 routines were use to load the PIXELplus
files, to rotate the screen, to enable Scale2X 
effect, trans effects, sprite collison and pretty 
much everything graphics related.
Graphics were done in GrafX 2.00(banners, story 
illustrations), PIXELplus 256(sprites) and
very little in Deluxe Paint(logo fonts).
Music was done in Fruity Loops Studio 6.
The code was written in FBIde 0.4.6, an 
open-source IDE for the FreeBASIC compiler.
Audacity was used to edit the sound effects.
Music and sound support by FMOD sound library by 
Firelight Technologies Pty, Ltd.
Aha-soft IconoMaker was used to create the game 
icons.

Thanks to:
Richard Eric Lope for helping me out so many 
times. 
Pete Berg for the phat beat. P.H. phat. :P
Andre Victor T. Vicentini for looking great in
that red dress. Ok, thanks for FreeBASIC. It's
not something big but you tried. :P
Angelo Mottola for GFXlib 2.
Adigun Azikiwe Polack for AFlib 2.
D.J.Peters for his rotation/scale routine.
MystikShadows for the generous compliments on my work.
Zap for....err, I don't remember anymore but we 
are cool. Right? :P
SJ Zero for the QBXL Audio Editions. We should be
together. :P
Nekrophidius for not being annoyed with me(hint-hint).
Matt2Jones for writing Bobby The QBasic Maniac comic
and "Music Composition" tutorials.
The Awakened for his music tutorial. I didn't get
to see another issue. I went into exile before
QB Express issue #21. Anyway, both of yours 
tutorials didn't help much but that's bad on me. 
I really tried and failed. I must look else where. 
The very basics of music composing are not enough.


4. Troubleshooting/Q&A 
======================

#1 Can I take a screenshot of the game?
---------------------------------------
Yes you can by pressing F1 on the main menu,
inside instructions, on the scores screen, 
upgrades menu, story screen and while 
playing the game.

#2 The game runs too slow on my PC.
-----------------------------------
Can't help you there. You ARE playing
in full screen mode? The game IS a bit
demanding compared to my other games
but shouldn't be in general. Unless you 
have an ancient PC like mine. Just a note
that the game requires more from your
video card in two players mode and that
mode is really a test of your PC and
video card. Also, Stretch graphic mode
is slower than Scale2X but maybe results
in a better look of the game. I can't make 
my mind. :P

#3 What is the optimum speed of the game?
-----------------------------------------
33 FPS. I couldn't get more on my PC so
the game had to be optimized for this 
FPS value. You can press F2 too turn on/off
a FPS counter to see if you PC is getting
the maximum out of this game. A note that
on "SLOW" game speed the game is limited
to 25 FPS. This option was a last minute
addition since I realize I might have
made the game slightly too fast. But
remember that the game's proper speed is
33 FPS and if you are not a sissy, you
will play on 33 FPS.

#4 The game runs with more than 33 FPS on my PC.
------------------------------------------------
Liar!

#5 The game is too difficult.
-----------------------------
Well, it's difficult enough. It's a game
that you can't crack in 5 minutes. At
least you shouldn't be able to. Apply the 
tips from the game instructions and you 
should do fine. I'll admit that the game
doesn't forgive more than 2 big mistakes 
but remember all those old shooters where 
one hit was dividing you from death? I do.
Anyway, I finished the game 4 times with
the last tweeks so it can be done, with 
different upgrades as well. My scores: 
20184, 20290, 20298 and 20047. And I 
usually sucked in one or more stages(had 
low shield energy on the end of it).

#6 How can I land on the planets?
---------------------------------
Yeah, right. They are just there for 
decoration and to ease the orientation in 
a stage.

#7 I destroyed all the enemies but a phase
------------------------------------------
won't change or the vortex won't appear.
----------------------------------------
You probably missed a ship somewhere. 
Sometimes if one lone ship is close to
a planet it's hard to spot it on the
mini map so you'll need to look more
carefully.

#8 What if in two players mode I die,
-------------------------------------
the second player continues playing and
---------------------------------------
gets to the top score inputting?
--------------------------------
Don't worry, your score is stored in the
moment you die and will be properly
checked for top score on the end of the 
game or when the second player dies too.

#9 I started the game but the palette
-------------------------------------
was all wrong.
--------------
Not my fault. I think there's some bug
in GFXlib 2, FreeBASIC's built-in graphics 
library. Just run the game again. 

#10 The music is horrible.
--------------------------
Write to your congressman. 

#11 I can't pause during a game.
--------------------------------
Yes you can.

#12 This wasn't very helpful.
-----------------------------
I agree.


5. Contact
==========

My email:lachie13@yahoo.com
My websites: http://kentauri.digitalblackie.com
             http://kentauri.digitalblackie.com/articles

Feel free to email me. I don't bite. :P
Oh, yes. My sites are not updated anymore because of
a reason you really are not interested in.


~ Lachie Dazdarian, 29.08.2006








