Sophie: tux_aqfh-1.0.14-22.mga6 i586

tux_aqfh-1.0.14-22.mga6.i586.rpm

<TITLE>Tuxedo T. Penguin: A Quest for Herring.</TITLE>
<BODY BACKGROUND="Penguin.gif">
<br><FONT SIZE=+7><b>T</b></FONT SIZE><b>UXEDO</b>
    <FONT SIZE=+7><b>T. P</b></FONT SIZE><b>ENGUIN:</b>
    <FONT SIZE=+7><b>A</b></FONT SIZE><b></b>
    <FONT SIZE=+7><b>Q</b></FONT SIZE><b>UEST FOR</b>
    <FONT SIZE=+7><b>H</b></FONT SIZE><b>ERRING.</b>
<br>
<center>by Steve and Oliver Baker</center>
<br>
<T1>Prerequisites.</T1>
For this initial beta release, you'll need the following hardware:
<ul>
<li>Pentium 266MHz or better for great performance, 100MHz
might be bearable.
<li>3D graphics card with OpenGL/Mesa support.
<li>32Mb RAM for reasonable performance.
<li>A sound card that Linux can support.
<li>A joystick (even a cheap one will do just fine - but
a 'game pad' with lots of buttons is best).
</ul>
The following software needs to be correctly installed:
<ul>
<li>GLIDE (for 3Dfx cards) - skip this if you
    have a non-3Dfx 3D card.
<li>Mesa - or some other hardware-accellerated OpenGL.
    Don't expect a beta release of Mesa to work - pick
    the latest full release. (Mesa 3.1 beta is known
    not to work for example).
<li>For Linux users: The standard Linux Joystick driver.
<li>For Linux users: The standard Linux Audio driver.
<li>The PLIB libraries from my web site at
    <A HREF="http://plib.sourceforge.net">
    http://plib.sourceforge.net</A>
</ul>
If you wish to develop more levels, or to improve the existing
levels, you'll need a paint program (eg GIMP) and some kind of
3D modeller. I currently use AC3D - which is a $40 shareware
package.
<T1>Playing Tux.</T1>
If you have a 3Dfx card, then
as usual with 3D games under Linux, you need to set
some environment variables:
<pre>

   setenv MESA_GLX_FX           "fullscreen"
   setenv FX_GLIDE_SWAPINTERVAL       1

   setenv SST_GAMMA                   1.4
   setenv SST_SCREENREFRESH           60
   setenv SST_SWAP_EN_WAIT_IN_VSYNC   1

   setenv SSTV2_GAMMA                 1.4
   setenv SSTV2_SCREENREFRESH         60
   setenv SSTV2_SWAP_EN_WAIT_IN_VSYNC 1

</pre>
If you do not have /dev/3dfx installed and setup correctly, you'll
need to run as root. Either way, you need to be running Xfree86.
<p>
During this development phase, it's possible to start the game
running at any level...clearly that has to change in time - but
for now, it's *very* convenient.
<pre>

   tux_aqfh {-g|--gown|-t|--tux} {-h|--help} {-r|--reset}

</pre>
The first time you play the game, you need to specify whether you
wish to play as Tux (the boy Penguin) or Gown (the girl Penguin).
Do this by passing '--gown' (-g) or '--tux' (-t) on the command
line. The first time you play, it'll create a save file in your
home directory called '.tux_aqfh_rc'.  If you want to reset the
game, either delete that file or start the game with '--reset' (-r)
on the command line.  You never have to manually save the game, this
happens automatically whenever Tux (or Gown) completes a level,
<p>
This release of the game comes with several levels - most of these are
just tests for various features of the software rather than seriously
playable levels.
<p>
The training level is designed to teach beginners the mechanics of
the game without the need to read the manual.
<T1>The .tux_aqfh_rc file.</T1>
Tux saves the current game automatically in '~/.tux_aqfh_rc' by
default. You can pick a different file to load/save by setting
the full path in the environment variable 'TUX_AQFH_RC'.
<T1>The Objective.</T1>
Right now, the only objective is to get to the end - but to do
that, you have to collect a certain unspecified number of Golden
Herring.  Each level contains a temple-like building with a green
swirling whirlpool in the middle. Jumping into the whirlpool takes
you either on to the next level or back to a room called "The Antechamber"
which gives you access to just those levels that you have enough Golden
Herring to reach. The game is only saved when you return to the
Antechamber.
<p>
Typically, you will have to collect items (Herring mostly) or
gain special powers, or search very hard and manouver with dexterity
in order to reach this level's temple and hence progress to the next
level.
<p>
Other collectables include:
<ul>
<li> Silver Herring - which give you energy which is consumed in
     short flying hops and perhaps for operating certain machinery.
<li> Green Herring - which are disgusting and harm you.
<li> Red Herrings - which can be used for any purpose by the level
     designer - switching things on and off, giving special powers
     or equipment to Tux, dressing him up in silly costumes for no
     special reason, etc. The only rule is that each Red Herring should
     always do the same thing. The effects of Red Herring should always
     wear off by the end of the level.
<li> Gold Herring - sometimes there are doors that cannot be passed
     unless you have collected enough Golden herring. There are usually
     only one or two Golden Herring on each level. Sometimes they will
     be hidden very deviously, other times they will be in plain sight
     but defended heavily.
<li> Lives - these are little spinning Tux icons which add to your
     'lives'.
<li> Snowballs - these can be thrown as missiles against Tux's
     enemies, smashing into a snowman increases Tux's supply.
</ul>
<T1>Controls.</T1>
Tux is moved using the joystick, the 'trigger button' (or the 'A'
button on game pads) causes him to jump if walking or swimming on
the surface, to try to fly if he is already in freefall for some
reason, or to swim faster if he's underwater. The 'other' button
(or the 'B' button on game pads) causes him to throw snowballs if
on land, or to dive if he's swimming on the surface. It doesn't
currently have a function when falling or flying.
<p>
All of the camera controls are on the arrow keys, and
Insert/Delete/Home/End/PgUp/PgDn.  The 'camera' can operate in two
modes (Follow-behind-Tux and Move-freely-relative-to-Tux), you can
toggle between the two modes using the End key. The Insert key
toggles the field of view from wide-angle to normal. The Home
key restores the camera to 'default settings'. PgUp and PgDn move
the camera up and down and in height, the up and down arrows move
it closer or further from Tux and the left and right arrows move
the camera around Tux in a clockwise or anticlockwise direction.
<p>
If you have a game pad then 'L' and 'R' move the camera left and
right, clicking both together toggles between follow-Tux and
move-freely.  Holding the 'C' or 'D' buttons down and moving
the joystick allows you to move the camera around instead of
Tux.
<p>
Pressing 'C' and 'D' gamepad buttons together causes Tux to do
a somersault. The 'r' key on the keyboard has the same effect.
<p>
The 'p' key pauses the game.
<p>
Most other functions are not needed in actual play and are operated
from the menu bar. The space-bar toggles the menu bar on and off.
<T1>Cheat Mode</T1>
It's necessary to cheat quite a bit during development - all the
cheat functions are mapped to the keyboard - but are only enabled
after a password has been typed. Currently the password is 'Tuxedo'
(case sensitive) - but it will be changed or even removed when we
make a formal non-development release.
<p>
Cheat mode commands tend to come and go as needed, but the most
useful (and most likely to survive) are:
<ul>
<li> f : Freeze (or unfreeze) the motion of all bad-guys.
<li> c : Toggle an on-screen text/debug overlay.
<li> ? : Display Tux's current X/Y/Z position and the direction
         he's facing (only visible when the overlay is on).
<li> + : Go on to the next level without having to find the
         temple.
<li> - : Go back to the previous level.
<li> r : Restock. Gives Tux a full supply of lives, energy,
         health, herrings and snowballs.
<li> k : Keypad mode - the game logic is suspended and
         Tux can be positioned directly using the numeric
         keypad. It's best to have the camera in 'follow Tux'
         mode when you do this. Hit 'k' again to return to
         normal play. 
<li> t : Toggle texture map rendering on and off.
<li> w : Toggle wireframe rendering on and off.
<li> x : Exit from cheat mode.
</ul>
<H2>What Works - What Doesn't?</H2>
Well, the basic gameplay pretty much works, here are a number
of things that aren't done yet...
<ul>
<li> Camera control is not perfect - it's quite easy to have it
     buried underground - or off the edge of the level.
<li> When Tux goes under an overhang, the camera doesn't always
     succeed in following him.
<li> Only the training level and level 3 are really playable.
     You can wander around the others - but they don't have
     objectives, etc. Some of the objects are 'interesting'
     but don't do anything yet.
<li> Music: Well, I am shipping 'MOD' music files from
     fairly dubious sources - it's always hard to discover
     whether music files out on public web sites are 'free'
     or not.  These files appear to be free - but if anyone
     knows any different, I'd like to hear about it.
     If you want to add your own music, create
     '.mod' files and edit the 'data/levelXXX.dat' file to
     make it play your song instead of the default.
<li> There are no 'bad guys' apart from the Killer Whale
     (Freeware Willy) in level 1. Freeware Willie isn't fully
     debugged yet - sometimes he gets 'stuck' in shallow water.
<li> Control of Tux in flight isn't correct yet (check out the
     rocket pack that you get in one of the Red Herring in
     level 1).
<li> There are multiple memory leaks - significant memory is
     wasted whenever you change from one level to another. Since
     there are so few levels, and you can't go back to a
     previous level (except in cheat mode), this doesn't
     really matter - YET!
<li> If you play for a long time, switching levels frequently,
     eventually something in the texture system breaks and
     you see the odd texture map disappearing.
<li> Snowballs can be thrown - but they don't do anything yet.
</ul>
<H2>Contributions.</H2>
I'm still having a lot of fun writing Tux - but I'm coming to the
point where it might be nice to have some help.  The main areas
that I need help with will be building new levels (I'd like to have
a LOT of levels) - and music (I'm musically hopeless).
<p>
I also need database loaders for file formats other than AC3D
so that lots of other people can design objects.
<p>
Anyone who is itching to get on and hack things ought
perhaps to take the code as it is today and use it to
build another Tux game with levels, etc all of it's own.
Call it something *somewhat* different:
<pre>
 eg

   "Tuxedo T. Penguin: Death to Leopard-Seals!"
   "Tuxedo T. Penguin: Killer Whales of Doom!"
   "Tuxedo T. Penguin: The return of the Krill."

</pre>
That way, we'll have a number of games - each with
a style of it's own - but the same basic theme.
If the various game teams interchange code, models,
music and ideas, I believe we could end up with
a family of great games.