NAME

       Transcend - retro-style, abstract, 2D shooter

SYNOPSIS

       transcend

DESCRIPTION

       Transcend  can  best be described as retro-style, abstract, 2D shooter. The graphics are geometrical, and
       the pace is sometimes frenzied.

       Two features set Transcend apart from other  games.  First,  its  dynamic  graphical  engine,  which  can
       smoothly  morph  from  one  complex shape to another, produces striking displays. Combining these dynamic
       shapes with subtle randomizations makes each play through a Transcend level visually different  from  the
       last.  The  second novel feature is Transcend's musical power-up system. As you play through a level, you
       are simultaneously assembling an abstract visual collage and arranging a unique piece of music. Transcend
       merges video games with pure art---it can be viewed either as a game or as a multimedia sculpture.

USAGE

       How to play Transcend

       Preparation:

       Stereo headphones or speakers with good stereo separation are highly recommended.  The music generated by
       Transcend is in stereo, and how you interact with Transcend affects  stereo  positioning  in  the  music.
       Transcend is playable on a monophonic sound system, but many subtle sound features will be missed.

       Basic Keyboard Controls:

       Arrow keys:  direct your glyph around the plane

       Space bar:   fire projectiles

       D key:       pick up or drop an Element

       P key:       pause the game

       Q key:       quit

       Advanced Keyboard Controls:

       S key:       slide your glyph to the left

       F key:       slide your glyph to the right

       Quick instructions:

       To  win  a  level,  you must destroy the major anti-glyph.  Your glyph starts out very weak---its initial
       projectiles are powerless (they cannot even destroy minor  anti-glyphs).   Build  the  strength  of  your
       projectiles  by  gathering  Elements  from  the  plane and dropping them near the center of the grid in a
       collage.  Minor anti-glyphs will try to break apart your collage---destroy  them  with  projectiles  (you
       need  at  least one Element in your collage to have projectiles that are powerful enough to destroy minor
       anti-glyphs).  After you destroy the major anti-glyph, a portal will appear.  Pass through this portal to
       move on to the next level.

       A more detailed description is given below.

HOW TO PLAY

       Game Components:

       A level in Transcend contains the following components:

       Your  glyph - Always at the center of the screen.  This is the component that you control (i.e., "you" in
       traditional game-speak).

       The plane - Marked by a grid.  Your glyph can travel anywhere on this grid.

       Umbilical - A colored line that connects your glyph to the center of the grid.   This  line's  color  and
       width change according to your current projectile strength and attributes.

       Elements  -  Stationary  objects  that start out strewn along the borderof the grid.  Your glyph can pick
       these up and move themaround.  Elements can be dropped at the center of the grid to form a  power-up  and
       music collage (see below).

       Music  cursor  -  A  red, yellow, and green line that traverses your Element collage.  This line moves to
       show the current music position in time.  The vertical extent of the cursor represents the  stereo  space
       (red is right, green is left, and yellow is center).

       Minor  anti-glyphs  -  The  enemy.   These  mobile  components pursue your glyph and the Elements in your
       power-up collage.

       Major anti-glyph  - A large enemy that travels in a circular path around the grid.  This  enemy  is  your
       primary target: when you destroy the major anti-glyph, you can move on to the next level.

       Portal  -  Appears after you destroy the major anti-glyph. While the portal is visible, minor anti-glyphs
       will stop attacking.  You can explore the  various  Elements  and  musical  possibilities  without  being
       bothered by enemies. Pass through the portal to move on to the next level.

       Enemy attacks:

       When  you  are  hit  with  an  enemy  projectile, your glyph drops any Element that it is carrying and is
       propelled back toward the center of the grid.  When an Element is hit  by  an  enemy  projectile,  it  is
       propelled  away  from  the center of the grid.  Once you have started building a collage of Elements, the
       minor anti-glyphs will try to knock Elements out and disrupt your collage.

       Power-up and music collage:

       Elements that are dropped near the center of the  grid  (where  your  umbilical  ends)  form  a  collage.
       Elements  that  are  dropped near the collage also become part of the collage (thus, a collage can extend
       far away from the grid center as long as some Element in the collage is near the center).

       Each Element represents a projectile power-up.  The Elements in your collage are  combined  to  determine
       the strength and form of your glyph's projectile.

       After  your  collage contains at least one Element, your projectiles will be strong enough to destroy any
       minor anti-glyph in one shot.  However, the major anti-glyph is much more durable, and a relatively large
       collage will be needed to make your projectiles strong enough to destroy it easily.

       If  your  collage  grows  to be asymmetrical and/or off-center, your projectiles will become weaker (they
       will appear transparent and your umbilical will become thinner).

       In addition to a projectile power-up, each Element represents a section of  music.   A  cursor  traverses
       your  collage and plays the music associated with the Elements that you have assembled.  Thus, a chain of
       elements that extends perpendicular to the cursor will be played sequentially  in  time.   A  chain  that
       extends parallel to the cursor will be played simultaneously in time but spaced out in stereo.

AUTHOR

       Transcend was written by Jason Rohrer.

       This manual page was written for Debian by Miriam Ruiz <little_miry@yahoo.es>.  Transcend Homepage
       ⟨http://transcend.sourceforge.net/⟩