trusty (6) tworld.6.gz

Provided by: tworld_1.3.0-6_amd64 bug

NAME

       tworld - Tile World

SYNOPSIS

       Tile World is a reimplementation of the game "Chip's Challenge". The player controls Chip, navigating him
       through his challenges. The object of each level of the game is to find and reach the  exit  tile,  which
       takes you to the next level. The levels contain many different kinds of obstacles, creatures both hostile
       and indifferent, tools, protective gear -- and, of course, chips.

OVERVIEW OF THE GAME

       The main display shows Chip in the current level and his immediate surroundings. To  the  right  of  this
       display  is  shown  the basic information about the current level. The most important data shown here are
       how many seconds are left on the clock, and how many chips still need to be collected. (On some level the
       clock does not show a time. These levels have no time limit.)

       The  object of every level is to find and reach the exit before the time runs out. The exit is frequently
       (but not always) guarded by a chip socket. To move past the chip socket,  Chip  must  collect  a  certain
       number  of  computer  chips;  the  amount  needed  is  different  in each level. As you play a level, the
       information display on the right shows the number of chips that still need to be collected  in  order  to
       open  the  socket. (Remember that getting enough chips to open the chip socket is only a subgoal, not the
       main goal. Some levels do not require any chips to be collected; some levels have no chip socket at all.)

       Also occupying many of the levels are other creatures. Most (but not all) of them move about  in  simple,
       predictable  patterns, and without regard for Chip's presence. The creatures know enough to avoid running
       into each other, but a collision with Chip is fatal. The complete taxonomy of creatures is: tanks, balls,
       gliders, fireballs, walkers, blobs, teeth, bugs, and paramecia.

       In  addition  to  the socket and the main exit, there are also four different kinds of doors. These doors
       can be opened with the right kind of key. The doors and the keys are color-coded -- red, green, blue, and
       yellow  -- so you can tell them apart. Like the chip socket, a door that has been opened stays open. Keys
       are picked up simply by stepping upon them.  The  key  disappears  from  the  map  and  appears  in  your
       possession. Keys in your possession are displayed on the right-hand side of the window.

       Besides  keys  and  chip, there are also four kinds of special footgear that Chip can collect. Like keys,
       boots can be picked up simply by walking over them. (There is no limit to the number  of  boots  you  can
       have.)  These  boots  permit  Chip  to walk across four different kinds of surfaces, just as if they were
       normal flooring. Fire and water are two kind of tiles that are normally fatal to Chip, but fire boots and
       water  boots  will  permit  safe passage across these. Stepping onto ice sends Chip sliding at high speed
       unless he has a pair of ice boots.  Finally, there are force floors that push Chip along  in  a  specific
       direction; these can be counteracted with force boots.

       Two  other  types  of  surfaces are more useful to Chip, in that they keep other creatures out. These are
       dirt and gravel, and they are special in that Chip is the only one who can walk on  them.  However,  when
       Chip  steps  onto a dirt tile, it is cleared away and becomes normal flooring. Gravel, on the other hand,
       is permanent.

       There are numerous other objects scattered around the various  levels,  which  Chip  can  interact  with,
       although  he  cannot  pick  them up. Bombs are one kind of object which should always be avoided, as they
       explode when stepped on. The thief tile should also generally be avoided; entering this tile  will  cause
       Chip to lose any footgear he has collected.

       Dirt  blocks are large, movable squares of dirt. Chip can push them about, and use them to wall off areas
       or to safely detonate bombs.  Furthermore, if a block is pushed into water, the tile will turn into  dirt
       (which  will  become  normal flooring when Chip steps on it).  Finally, note that blocks can sometimes be
       resting on top of other objects, both helpful (such as a key) and harmful (such as a bomb).

       Some levels have teleports. Entering a teleport causes Chip to vanish  and  instantaneously  reappear  at
       another teleport.

       Even some of the walls can demonstrate surprising behavior. The so-called blue walls can either be actual
       walls, or empty mirages.  The only way for Chip to tell which is which is to attempt to walk through one.
       There  are also popup walls -- Chip can walk across these only once, for they turn into walls as he walks
       over them.

       There are four different types of pushbuttons. Like keys and boots, they are color-coded. Stepping  on  a
       pushbutton activates it.

       The  green  buttons  control  the  toggle walls. Toggle walls have dotted green outlines, and they change
       between being open (passable, like any other floor) and open (unpassable, a wall). When a green button is
       pressed, the closed toggle walls are opened and the open toggle walls are closed.

       Brown  buttons  control  bear traps. Anything that wanders into a bear trap will be stuck there until the
       brown button connected to it is pushed.

       Blue buttons exercise some control over the tanks. Normally, a tank moves directly forward until it  hits
       an  obstacle,  whereupon  it stops.  But when a blue button is pressed, all tanks turn around 180 degrees
       and begin moving again.

       The objects with the most potential for help and hindrance are the clone machines, which  are  controlled
       by red buttons. Every clone machine contains a dirt block, a tank, or some other creature. When the clone
       machine's red button is pressed, a duplicate of whatever the clone machine contains is  created  and  set
       loose.

       Once  in a while there will also be hint buttons. These have a question mark displayed on them. When Chip
       steps onto a hint button, a short bit of information will be displayed in the lower  right-hand  area  of
       the window.

       Here are some general hints for successful play:

       * When  moving  dirt blocks around, take care not to shove them into corners where you can't get them out
         again.
       * On some of the more mazelike levels, you may need to sketch out a map in order to solve it.
       * Many of the creatures move in specific patterns (for example, as with the tanks mentioned above).
       * A number of the objects in the game will affect other creatures in the same way they affect Chip.
       * Remember that if you get trapped somewhere, you can always use Ctrl-R to restart a level.
       * When you find a level to be unusually difficult, take some time to examine it carefully. Make sure  you
         truly know what options are available to you. In any case, keep trying. Occasionally the game will give
         you the opportunity to skip a level that seems too hard.

PASSWORDS

       Every level has a four-letter password. The password for a level is shown in the information  display  at
       the  upper-right  of  the  window.  The ostensible purpose of passwords is to allow you to come back to a
       level. However, normally you will never need to remember passwords,  as  Tile  World  will  automatically
       store  the  passwords  for  you. However, if you somehow manage to learn the password of a level that you
       have yet to achieve, you can use the password to gain early access to that level.

SCORING

       For each level in a set that you  complete,  the  game  awards  500  points  times  the  level's  number.
       Furthermore,  if  the level is timed, an extra 10 points is added for every second left on the clock when
       you finish the level. You can thus sometimes improve your score by returning to already-completed  levels
       and playing them again.

KEY COMMANDS

       During  game play, the arrows are the most important keys; they move Chip through the level. The keys 2 4
       6 8 on the numeric keypad can also be used for the same purpose. Other keys have the following functions:

       Bkspc  pauses the game; press any key to resume play.

       Ctrl-H same as Bkspc.

       Ctrl-N stops the current game and moves forward to the next level.

       Ctrl-P stops the current game and moves back to the previous level.

       Q      quits the current level.

       Ctrl-R starts over at the beginning of the current level.

       ?      pauses the game and displays a list of topics for which help is available within the program.

       V      decreases the volume level. (If the volume level is reduced to zero, then the program will display
              sound effects textually, as onomatopoeia.)

       Shift-V
              increases the volume level.

       At the start of a level, before game play begins, the following key commands are available:

       Q      returns to the list of available level sets.

       Spc    starts the current level without moving (i.e., standing still).

       N      moves to the next level.

       P      moves to the previous level.

       PgUp   moves ahead ten levels.

       PgDn   moves back ten levels.

       G      displays a prompt and accepts a password, then jumps to the level with that password.

       Tab    plays back the best solution for that level.

       Shift-Tab
              verifies  the  best  solution for that level. If the solution is no longer valid (e.g. because the
              level has been altered), the solution will automatically be deprecated.

       Ctrl-I same as Tab.

       Shift-Ctrl-I
              same as Shift-Tab.

       O      toggles between even-step and odd-step offset.

       Shift-O
              (Lynx-mode only) increments the stepping offset by one.

       Ctrl-X deprecates the best solution for that level. If the level is then  successfully  completed  again,
              the saved solution will be replaced with the new one, whether or not it had a better time.

       Shift-Ctrl-X
              deletes  the saved solution for that level. If confirmed, the solution will be immediately removed
              from the solution file.

       S      displays the list of known levels and the score for each, as well as the  overall  score  for  the
              level  set. The score list display also permits changing the current level by moving the selection
              and pressing Enter.

       Ctrl-S displays the list of solution files in the save directory whose names start with the name  of  the
              current level set. From here a different solution file can be selected.

       ?      displays a list of topics for which help is available within the program.

       At  every  point  in  the  program,  the Q key will abort the current activity and return to the previous
       display.

       Finally, the program can be exited at any time by pressing Shift-Q. (Ctrl-C or Alt-F4 will also force  an
       immediate exit.)

RULESETS

       Tile  World  contains emulators for two different versions of "Chip's Challenge". They are referred to as
       the Lynx ruleset and the MS ruleset. The Lynx ruleset recreates the original implementation of the  game,
       and the MS ruleset recreates the version that was implemented for Microsoft Windows (cf HISTORY).

       The most notable difference between the two rulesets is that in the MS ruleset, movement between tiles is
       instantaneous, whereas under the Lynx ruleset  motion  occurs  across  several  "ticks".  (This  probably
       reflects  the  fact that the latter ran on dedicated hardware, while the former ran on 33 MHz PCs under a
       non-preemptive multitasking OS.)  Although the basic mechanics of  the  game  are  the  same  under  both
       rulesets, there are also a host of subtle differences between the two.

       Each  level  set  file  includes a flag that indicates which ruleset it is to be played under. Some level
       sets can be played under both rulesets (most notably, the original  set  of  levels),  but  this  is  the
       exception.

ADDING NEW LEVEL SETS

       Level sets are defined by data files. By convention these file are named with a .dat extension. Typically
       the name proper contains the author's first name, last initial,  and  a  single  digit  --  for  example,
       EricS1.dat. (The digit is used to give the sequence in case the author, for whatever reason, stores their
       creations in more than one file.)

       When a new data file is obtained, it may simply be copied into the level set directory (cf  DIRECTORIES),
       and Tile World will then make it available for playing.

       An alternate method is to use a configuration file (see CONFIGURATION FILES below).

COMMAND-LINE OPTIONS

       tworld  is  normally  invoked without arguments. The program begins by displaying a list of the available
       level sets. After a level set is chosen, the program jumps to the first unsolved level to begin play.

       The available command-line options are enumerated in the following table.  (Windows  users:  The  options
       that  cause  the program to display information on standard output actually go to a file named stdout.txt
       instead.)

       -a     Double the size of the audio buffer. This option can  be  repeated,  so  for  example  -aaa  would
              increase the audio buffer size eightfold.

       -b     Do  a  batch-mode  verification of the existing solutions and exit.  Levels with invalid solutions
              are displayed on standard output. If used with -q, then nothing is displayed,  and  the  program's
              exit  code  is  the  number of invalid solutions. Can also be used with -s or -t to have solutions
              verified before the other option is applied. Note that this options  requires  a  level  set  file
              and/or a solution file be named on the command line.

       -D DIR Read level data files from DIR instead of the default directory.

       -d     Display the default directories used by the program on standard output, and exit.

       -F     Run in full-screen mode.

       -H     Upon  exit,  display  a  histogram  of  idle  time  on  standard  output. (This option is used for
              evaluating optimization efforts.)

       -h     Display a summary of the command-line syntax on standard output and exit.

       -L DIR Look for level sets in DIR instead of the default directory.

       -l     Write a list of available level sets to standard output and exit.

       -n N   Set the initial volume level to N, 0 being silence and 10 being full volume. The default level  is
              10.

       -P     Turn  on  pedantic  mode,  forcing  the  Lynx  ruleset  to emulate the original game as closely as
              possible. (See the Tile World website for more information on emulation of the Lynx ruleset.)

       -p     Turn off all password-checking. This option allows the normal sequence of levels to be bypassed.

       -q     Run quietly. All sounds, including the ringing of the terminal bell, are suppressed.

       -r     Run in read-only mode. This guarantees that no changes will be made to the solution files.

       -R DIR Read resource data from DIR instead of the default directory.

       -S DIR Read and write solution files under DIR instead of the default directory.

       -s     Display the current scores for the selected level set on standard output and  exit.  A  level  set
              must  be  named  on  the command line. If used with -b, the solutions are verified beforehand, and
              invalid solutions are indicated.

       -t     Display the best times for the selected level set on standard output and exit. A level set must be
              named  on  the  command  line. If used with -b, the solutions are verified beforehand, and invalid
              solutions are indicated.

       -V     Display the program's version and license information on standard output and exit.

       -v     Display the program's version number on standard output and exit.

       Besides the above options, tworld can accept up to three command-line arguments: the name of a level set,
       the  number  of  a  level  to  start  on,  and  the name of an alternate solution file. If the name of an
       installed level set is specified, then Tile World will start up in that set, skipping the  initial  level
       set selection.

       If the specified level set is not a simple name but is a pathname (relative or absolute), then Tile World
       will use that level set only, without requiring that it first be installed. No solutions  will  be  saved
       unless  an  explicit  solution  file  is  also  supplied  on  the command-line. (If the command-line only
       specifies a solution file, then Tile World will look up the name of the level set in the solution file.)

CONFIGURATION FILES

       Configuration files are used to override some of the settings in a  data  file,  or  to  set  values  not
       provided for by the data file format.  Configuration files are by convention named with a .dac extension.
       A configuration file is stored in the level set directory in the place of the data file, which then  goes
       into the data directory (cf DIRECTORIES).

       The  configuration  file  is  a  simple  text  file. The first line of a configuration file must have the
       following form:

       file = DATAFILE

       where DATAFILE is the filename of the data file. (Arbitrary whitespace  is  permitted  around  the  equal
       sign, but there cannot be any whitespace embedded at the beginning of the line.) After this initial line,
       the configuration file can contain any of the following lines:

       usepasswords = y|n

       This line permits password-checking to be enabled/disabled when  playing  the  levels  in  the  set.  The
       default is y.

       ruleset = ms|lynx

       This  line allows the configuration file to override the ruleset setting in the data file. This is mainly
       useful in the case where one level set is playable under either ruleset (as is the case with the original
       level  set).  The author can then provide one data file and two configuration files to make both versions
       available.

       lastlevel = levelnum

       This line marks an arbitrary level as being the last level in the set. The game will stop when this level
       is  completed,  instead  of proceeding to the next level. (Note that if the data file contains any levels
       beyond this one, they will only be reachable via a password.)

       fixlynx = y|n

       This line is specifically for use with the original level  set.  It  is  not  generally  useful,  and  is
       described  here  only  for  completeness.  The  chips.dat  file that MS distributed with their version of
       "Chip's Challenge" contained a few minor differences from the original level set as appeared on the Lynx.
       A  positive  value  for this entry instructs the program to undo those changes, so that the original Lynx
       level set is obtained. (The changes made in the MS version were: an extra level was added; four passwords
       were garbled; and four or five levels' maps had minor alterations.)

RESOURCES

       Tile  World  loads  various  resources  at  runtime  from its resource directory (cf DIRECTORIES).  These
       resources include the program's font, graphic images, and  sound  effects.  The  actual  file  names  are
       determined  by  the  contents  of  a  file  named  rc  (short  for "resource configuration", not "runtime
       commands") in the same directory.

       The rc file is a plain text file, and contains lines of the form

       resource = filename

       where resource is a symbolic resource name, and filename is the name of a file in the resource directory.

       The resources can be set differently depending on the ruleset that the program is using. A line in the rc
       file of the form

       [ ruleset]

       indicates  that  the lines that follow only apply when that ruleset is in effect (where ruleset is either
       MS or Lynx). Resources that are defined before any such line apply to both rulesets, and are also used as
       fallbacks if a ruleset-specific resource could not be loaded. (The font and the text-color resources also
       need to have ruleset-independent values, as these are needed  when  displaying  the  initial  file  list,
       before a ruleset has been chosen.)

       A line of the form

       TileImages = FILENAME

       identifies the file that provides the images used to draw the game.  These images are stored in a Windows
       bitmap. (See the Tile World website for more information about this resource.)

       A line of the form

       Font = FILENAME

       identifies the file that provides the program's font. The font is stored as a Windows  bitmap.  (See  the
       Tile World website for more information about this resource.)

       A line of the form

       UnsolvableList = FILENAME

       identifies  the  filename  for the database of unsolvable levels. See DATABASE OF UNSOLVABLE LEVELS below
       for more information about this file. Note that this resource must be defined independent of the ruleset,
       or else it will be ignored.

       Four resources define the colors used in rendering text:

       BackgroundColor = RRGGBB
       TextColor = RRGGBB
       BoldTextColor = RRGGBB
       DimTextColor = RRGGBB

       The value of RRGGBB is a string of six hexadecimal digits defining the red, green, and blue values of the
       color (as with the color specification used in HTML or X Windows, but without the preceding octothorpe).

       The remaining resources all define the game's sound effects. The sounds  are  stored  as  Microsoft  RIFF
       files  (so-called  wave files).  Unlike the tile images, each sound effect is defined as a separate file.
       The complete list of symbolic resource names is as follows:

       Sounds used in both rulesets

       * LevelCompleteSound
       * ChipDeathSound
       * BlockedMoveSound
       * PickupToolSound
       * ThiefSound
       * TeleportSound
       * OpenDoorSound
       * SocketSound
       * SwitchSound
       * BombSound
       * SplashSound

       Sounds used only under the MS ruleset

       * TickSound
       * ChipDeathByTimeSound
       * PickupChipSound

       Sounds used only under the Lynx ruleset

       * TileEmptiedSound
       * WallCreatedSound
       * TrapEnteredSound
       * BlockMovingSound
       * SkatingForwardSound
       * SkatingTurnSound
       * SlidingSound
       * SlideWalkingSound
       * IceWalkingSound
       * WaterWalkingSound
       * FireWalkingSound

       (Note that the symbolic names for the shared and MS-only sounds match the names in the  entpack.ini  file
       used  by  the  Microsoft  program.   This  makes  it  easy for someone with a copy of Microsoft's "Chip's
       Challenge" to use the sound effects that were provided with that version of the game.)

DATABASE OF UNSOLVABLE LEVELS

       Of the many thousands of user-created levels that are publicly available, there are  some  that  are  not
       possible  to  complete.  Some  of  these  are  intentionally  so (e.g. requiring the player to deduce the
       password to the next level). The remainder, however,  are  simply  due  to  poor  design,  and  there  is
       typically no indication that attempting to solve these levels is fruitless.

       To  help  alleviate  this,  Tile  World  comes with a database of levels that have been identified by the
       community to be definitely unsolvable. When the player visits a level that appears in  this  database,  a
       warning is displayed, and the password to the next level is automatically supplied.

       The  main  database  of  unsolvable levels is stored in the resource directory. In addition, a player can
       keep a separate database in a file of the same name in the directory for solution files. If present, Tile
       World will use the information from both of these files.

       The  offending  levels  are identified by content as well as by name and number, so that updated versions
       will no longer be identified as unsolvable. See the Tile World website for  more  information  about  the
       format of this file, and to check for updates to the database.

DIRECTORIES

       Tile World uses four different directories for storing external files.  The following list enumerates the
       directories and describes their purpose. The default directories that the program uses can be  configured
       at  compile  time.  The  directories  can  also  be  changed  at  runtime via command-line options and/or
       environment variables (see below).

       Sets   This directory is used to hold the available level sets. The files in this  directory  are  either
              data files or configuration files. (default for Linux: /usr/local/share/tworld/sets)

       Data   This directory is used to hold the data files that are referenced by configuration files. (default
              for Linux: /usr/local/share/tworld/data)

       Res    This directory stores the graphics and sound files  used  by  the  program.  (default  for  Linux:
              /usr/local/share/tworld/res)

       Save   This directory is used for saving solution files. (default for Linux: ~/.tworld)

ENVIRONMENT VARIABLES

       Two  environment  variables can be used to override the program's built-in defaults for which directories
       to use. They are as follows:

       TWORLDDIR
              Specifies a top-level directory, in which the program will look for the resource, level  set,  and
              data file directories.

       TWORLDSAVEDIR
              Specifies a directory for saving solution files.

LICENSE

       Tile World is copyright (C) 2001-2006 by Brian Raiter.

       This  program  is  free  software;  you  can  redistribute it and/or modify it under the terms of the GNU
       General Public License as published by the Free Software Foundation; either version 2 of the License,  or
       (at your option) any later version.

       This  program  is  distributed in the hope that it will be useful, but without any warranty; without even
       the implied warranty of merchantability or fitness for a particular purpose.  See the GNU General  Public
       License for more details.

       Please send bug reports to breadbox@muppetlabs.com.

HISTORY

       "Chip's  Challenge"  was  created  by  Chuck  Sommerville,  and was originally written for the Atari Lynx
       handheld game console. ("Tile World" was  his  working  title  for  the  game.)  "Chip's  Challenge"  was
       published by Epyx (the company who designed the Lynx before selling the rights to Atari) in 1989, and was
       among the first set of games made available for the Lynx.

       "Chip's Challenge" was  subsequently  ported  to  several  other  platforms:  MS-DOS,  Microsoft  Windows
       (16-bit),  Amiga,  ZX  Spectrum,  Atari ST, and the Commodore 64. (A NES port was also planned, but never
       completed.)

       The Windows port was different from most (perhaps all?) of the others in that it  was  not  done  by  the
       original  team at Epyx. Instead it was done by Microsoft and sold as part of Windows Entertainment Pack 4
       (and later as part of Best of Windows Entertainment Pack). In the process of recreating the game for  the
       16-bit  Windows  platform,  Microsoft  introduced  a surprising number of changes to the mechanics of the
       game. Some were clearly intentional, some were done through ignorance or indifference,  and  others  were
       simply bugs in the program.  The programs in WEP4 came pre-installed on many PC computers sold during the
       1990s, which is part of the reason why this particular version became  the  most  popular.  A  small  but
       fanatically  loyal community of adherents to the game connected via a MSN chatroom (and later through the
       internet). A few members of this community managed to decipher the format of the MS game's data file, and
       John  K.  Elion  subsequently created a freeware level editor, called ChipEdit. As a result there are now
       dozens of new level sets, created by fans of the game and all freely available.

       Atari discontinued support for the Lynx in 1994. When Epyx went under, the rights  to  their  games  were
       purchased  by Bridgestone Multimedia.  Responding to the success of "Chip's Challenge", Chuck Sommerville
       created a sequel ("Chip's Challenge 2"). The sequel included the original game as a  proper  subset,  and
       the  company  held  the  rights  to  both  games.  Bridgestone Multimedia, who has now become Alpha Omega
       Publications, unfortunately did not see fit to actually release "Chip's Challenge 2", and by  now  it  is
       highly  unlikely  that  it  ever will be released. Since Chuck Sommerville no longer has rights to either
       game, and Microsoft no longer sells either of the Entertainment Packs, the original "Chip's Challenge" is
       no longer available except by purchasing a used copy of one of the aforementioned Entertainment Packs (or
       by downloading an illegal copy).

       In 2001, the author began writing "Tile World" with the intention of recreating a version of the MS  game
       for  the  Linux platform. At the encouragement of Chuck Sommerville, this project was expanded to include
       the goals of recreating the original Lynx game as well, and also making the program work under MS Windows
       in addition to Linux.

APPENDIX: NOTES ON NOMENCLATURE

       "Chip's  Challenge" has seen several incarnations. Each had its own graphical rendering, and thus many of
       the objects in the game are known by more than one name. For example, the four types of boots in  the  MS
       version  of  the game were known as fire boots, flippers (for water), skates (for ice), and suction boots
       (for force floors). In the original Lynx version, however, they were not even boots  --  the  four  tools
       were fire shields, water shields, cleats, and magnets, respectively.

       Several  of  the  creatures  have seen a variety of names. The list of creatures given in OVERVIEW OF THE
       GAME corresponds to the MS version of the  game.  In  the  original  Lynx  version,  the  paramecia  were
       centipedes  instead.  In  still other versions of the game, gliders were referred to as ghosts or sharks,
       fireballs were flames, and teeth were called frogs. (You will also occasionally see bugs referred  to  as
       bees, and walkers referred to as dumbbells.)

       Finally, the thief tile was called a spy in the MS version.

       None  of this information is needed in order to play the game, but it helps to explain the titles of some
       of the user-created levels.