The Train Game ============== You have just got the job of Chief Operations Manager for a major railway. You arrive at the address they gave you on your first day, expecting a plush air-conditioned office, when, to your horror, you find that from now on you will be working all alone in a draughty old signalbox. Pinned on the wall is a sealed envelope. You open it and begin to read...... Dear latest Operations Manager We were so impressed by your performance at the interview that we have decided to give you the jobs of Safety Manager and Public Relations Manager as well. By the way - beware the 10.47. You are just about to pick up your briefcase and leave, when a bell starts ringing. Looking up the track you see a train heading towards you. Looking down the track, you see another train rushing to meet it. Only you can stop them colliding. Only you can prevent the largest train disaster in the history of rail travel. The lives of countless people depend upon you. You rush into the signalbox and read the rest of these instructions as quickly as you can..... Microsphere Computer Services Ltd 72, Rosebery Road, London N10 2LA. Tel 01-883-9411 Loading The Program =================== Two track layouts are recorded on each cassette, these are called 'tracka' and 'trackb'. The two layouts are different and pose different problems. To load one of the tracks:- 1) Set the volume control on your cassette recorder to somewhere near the middle. Rewind the cassette (label side up) to the beginning of the tape 2) Connect the EAR socket of the cassette recorder to the EAR socket of the Spectrum. Make sure that there is nothing in the MIC socket of the computer. 3) Type in LOAD "tracka" or LOAD "trackb" depending on which layout you want. (You get the LOAD simply by pressing the "J" key rather than typing in the individual letters.) 4) Press ENTER and start your cassette recorder playing. If the tape fails to load, try again with different volume levels. If it still fails to load, send it back to MICROSPHERE at the address above for a replacement. Levels of Play ============== You can play at any of 7 levels. Levels 1-6 have five sub-levels. Level 7 has 9 sub-levels. Each sub-level has a unique combination of trains and speeds, and, in case you ever wonder, every sub-level has been thoroughly checked out to make sure that it is possible. When you complete all the sub-levels at any level you will automatically be taken on to the next level. You start off with 4 lives, but you can earn an extra life if your score reaches 5000. The number of spare lives you have remaining is shown in black carriages on the bottom line on the screen. On the line above this you see the current level and sub-level, and the speeds of the trains. (A number after a single black carriage is the speed of the express, a number after two black carriages together is for a goods train.) Playing ======= Before you select a level and start playing you can watch the demo version. This will give you a chance to study the track layout. Notice that each set of points has a code letter. During play, pressing this letter on the keyboard will make the points on the screen change, and any train coming to those points will go down the other section of track. But be careful any train reaching a set of points switched against it will be derailed. You score by stopping at the stations and picking up fare-paying passengers. The amount you score per passenger depends on which sub-level you are in. Red trains pick up red passengers, blue trains blue passengers etc. Keys 1, 2 &3 are used to make the trains stop. "1" affects the blue train, "2" the red train and "3" the magenta train. (The keys have these colours on them.) The train will not stop immediately, but only when it next reaches a station. You have to pick up 25 passengers before you are allowed on to the next sub-level. But you have to keep them happy. If you delay too long in picking up a passenger he will go white with rage, hijack the next train that does stop, not letting anyone else on, and certainly won't pay you. If you are very slow, the station platform may fill up entirely. If any other passenger comes along then there will not be room for him without pushing somebody else onto the rails, and you'll lose a life. In some sub-levels lost express or goods trains will appear from the tunnel at the bottom right of the screen. The only way you can get rid of them is to send them back out the way that they came. However, if you direct one of your trains out through this tunnel, you will lose a life for your carelessness. Pressing the SPACE key will freeze the action on the screen. But, time is money, and so don't be surprised if you see your score going backwards as you think. Pressing any key will start the game again. (So if you decide not to change any points press something like ENTER.) At any time you can stop the train noises by pressing '0' (zero) and the CAPS shift key at the same time. Pressing these keys again will bring the noises back. To summarize:- ============== a-z Switch associated points 1, 2, 3 Stop train at next station SPACE Freeze action Shift+0 Switch on/off train noises Turntable Bonus Games ===================== Every now and then, when you complete a sub-level you will be offered the chance to score a turntable bonus. In the bonus game you change the direction of the train by flipping it round while it is on a turntable rather than changing points. Pressing '0' (zero) rotates all the turntables clockwise: pressing '1' (one) rotates them all anti-clockwise. In order to collect the bonus you have to get from the bottom left hand corner to the top right hand corner of the screen. Running into a turntable which faces the wrong way will derail the train. As an additional hazard, heavy rains have washed away some sections of track, and hitting one of these will cause a derailment. This program and documentation, its content, game principles and graphical presentation is copyright Microsphere Computer Services Ltd. It may not be reproduced, in part or in whole by any means or in any form without the express permission of the copyright holder. Penalties for infringement of copyright are high. This program is sold subject to the condition that it will not be lent or hired out. ------------------------------------------------------- Re-edited Nigel Fishwick's work with complete (mistakes intact) instructions by Frode Tennebø, 20050824.