Freeware Version 

This software is Public Domain. You may copy it or distribute it without
written permission from the author. However you may not change it in any way
or claim you wrote it. You may not extract any code or graphics from this
application.


Record no.       : 2SFE40GT
Project Name     : Super Foul Egg
Date Started     : Tue 20th February 1996
Version Date     : Sun 28th July 1996
Game Type        : Columns-type skill game with multiplayer options
Health Warning   : Game is addictive after playing about 5 times.

Origins          : Converted to the Acorn from an Amiga PD game.
Programmer       : Owain Cole
Group            : Visions of the Impossible (VOTI)

Other software written by the same author:
BOMB             : Battle of the Master Bombers. Conversion from Amiga
                   Silicon Circus game. (6 Players)
TDT              : 3D vector tank battle.  (4 Players)

Other software written by VOTI:
Tricky Tiles     : A highly original maze game written for up to 4 players.
                   AI for computer players.
VOTI_Bin         : An amazingly useful dustbin for the desktop. It keeps
                   files, automatically or manually deleting them after a
                   user specified number of days, copes with directory
                   structures, automatically squashes the trash (if wanted)
                   - ignoring already compressed files eg arcfs, works
                   totally in the background - No need to drag files to the
                   bin, you just select delete from the filer menu and 
                   VOTI_Bin will grab them. Works when not in the desktop
                   too. Trash can be searched for files, Very (Very)
                   well tested and trusted so much, it is used by all members
                   of VOTI daily.
HardApps         : Automatic installation of applications in the ResourceFS
                   for pre-RiscPC machines. Memory efficient, 5 applications
                   in resourceFS only takes up 1408 bytes of memory.
                   
                   
=---------------------------------------------------------------------------=

                   
                   BUT NOW......
                   
                     VISIONS OF THE IMPOSSIBLE
                     
                        IS PROUD TO PRESENT......
                   
                   
                   


      SSS U   U PPPP  EEEE RRR     FFFF  OO  U  U L      EEEE  GG   GG
     S    U   U  P  P E    R  R    F    O  O U  U L      E    G    G
      SS  U   U PPPP  EEEE RRR     FFFF O  O U  U L      EEEE G GG G GG
        S U   U  P    E    R R     F    O  O U  U L      E    G  G G  G
     SSS   UUU   P    EEEE R  R    F     OO   UU  LLLL   EEEE  GG   GG

(Which if you can't read it says Super Foul Egg.)


The amazing new game from the depths of a weird and deranged mind. (And this
time, it's not mine.) Read on to learn the secrets of the universe... or at
least how to play the game.



Background
-oOOOOOOo-

Somewhere in the far reaching nothingness that is space, a frieghter makes
its way slowly across the cosmos. Abord, with the sole intent of whileing the
time away in some frivolous, futile, unproductive, useless manner, are the 4
remaining crew members. The 5th having been flushed out into space after a
particularaly nasty accident with a large vat of boiling hydrochloric acid, a
pint of lard, and a surfboard.

After years of failed attempts at a game so complex that it could keep all of
them occupied for the remaining voyage, the onboard computer has come up with
an idea so cunning, that it might just keep the crew sane. It involves
simulated gravity on board, at great expense to the power supply, and a large
quantity of eggs which, after years in storage, have gone strange colours
(and now also give off a varity of strange smells, ranging from vomit, to
pickled cat).

The game revolves around the fact that the weird bacteria found in the eggs,
each strain causing a different colour to cover the shells, cling together
when in contact. And that when more than 3 eggs with the same colour are next
to each other, a small explosion (caused through the discharge of vast
quantities of methane gasses) will blow up the coloured eggs and any other
rock based object in the close vicinity.

This game, the onboard computer tells the crew, is so addictive that players
are warned that if they start playing, they may never be able to stop. The
computer predicts a 78% chance that any human having played more than 5
games, will become physically addicted to the game. YOU HAVE BEEN WARNED.



How to play
-oOOOOOOOo-

Ok, so I'll try to cut out the bull. Each player drops a pair of eggs at a
time. The player can rotate and move the eggs left or right as they drop
towards the floor. When the eggs hit the floor, they form links with any eggs
which have the same colour that they are next to.

If 4 or more of the same colour are next to each other, then they are removed
from play. After this happens, the block of foul eggs are allowed to settle
again. Ie any which have nothing under them fall. After they have settled and
formed their links, then again eggs of the same colours which have 4 or more
touching each other disappear. The process repeats until no more sets of 4 or
more are found.

After this has happened, the opposing player is given a number of rocks.
These rocks cannot form sets, so all they do is get in the way and make it so
that the opposing player cannot get sets and so give you rocks. The number of
rocks that you give on is related to the number of sets that you get, whether
the sets were obtained in a cascade as opposed to at the same time. This is a
little bit hard to explain and so will be better explained in another section
headed "Cascades".

There is a way of getting rid of these rocks. If the rocks are next to a set
when it disappears, then the rocks are removed too.

The idea is to kill off the other player: by filling their screen up so that
the eggs cannot fall from the top. Once this has occured, that player is
dead. When all bar one of the players are dead, that player has won.

Space PAUSES the game while in play.



Cascades
-oOOOOo-

Ok, hard to explain but actually a very easy concept. If you get one set,
then the eggs fall and then settle, and you get another set, then this is a
cascade. If two sets are obtained at exactly the same time, then this isn't a
cascade.


Hmm, what do all the things on the menu mean?
-oOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOo-

Ok, this should be simple:
The thing on the top left is used to set the number of players. You can click
on the foul eggs to change how the player is controled. The red thing is
player controled, using the set of keys given in the number. If you have the
joystick module, then this will also cycle through to J0 and J1 to specify
which joystick port you wish to use. If the control selector is on the Grey
egg, then the player will be controled by the computer. The computer skill
level can be changed using the:

CPU level: These tick boxes can be used to set how good the computer
players are. Obviously, good is better than poor.

Difficulty: Clicking on the arrow will alter the speed at which players eggs
fall. The faster they fall, the harder the game is.

Number of colours: This allows you to change the number of colours you are
playing with. 4 should be concidered normal although you may like to play
with 3 until you get the hang of the game.

Keys: This shows the keys used by each of the players. You can change the
keys by clicking on them. Then pressing the key you want.

Drop: When on automatic, when you press down once, the eggs will plumet
downwards until they hit the bottom. When on manual, the eggs will plumet
only while you hold the key down.

Oh yeah, and you can also use the cursor keys and return to drive the mouse
on the menu screen. OK!

Escape returns to the menu screen.

Ctrl-Escape quits the game.

Oh yeah, and in case you didn't read it from above,
Space PAUSES the game while in play. 

OK!


Features(/Bugs!)
-oOOOOOOOOOOOOo-

Game speeds up when I am not playing:
If you play with more than 2 players, and the game ends up with the computer
playing itself, then the computer will attempt to speed up the game so you
don't have to wait around for it to finnish. This may not affect the running
speed on anything less than an ARM250 but it definatly speeds up on my A3010.

When I have nothing in my area, the other player gets dumped on:
If you manage to totally clear everything from your area, then an extra 6
rocks will fall on your opponant. So get clearing those rocks!!!

Sometimes I get a set and nothing falls on the other player:
If your opponant alreay has rocks at the top of his area ready to fall, then
no matter how many sets you make, you cannot add rocks onto it, so wait until
those rocks have fallen before you make any more.


Credits 
-oOOOo-

Game Code:
 Owain Cole of VOTI, 1996.

All the graphics were obtained by Matt Newton-Lewis using his amiga in dodgy
ways that only he knows how, except:

Options screen was painfully hand drawn by:
Gareth Lee, devil worshiper and black magic practitioner extrodinare.

VOTI Logo was also painfully hand drawn by:
Gareth Lee, undiscovered artist and High Moose of the Freemasons.
and I drew+cut+pasted+EORed+Typed+EORed the other one.

Docs:
Owain Cole (in a fit of insanity)

Play Testing:
At this point I should really should thank Gareth for his help in telling me
how close to the original I was, and how fast it should go, and also whether
my control method had got any better since I last gave him a copy. Oh yeah,
and thanks to me, cos I can assure you I played it more than Gareth did. 


Hi's to...
-oOOOOOOo-

Colin McEwan, Chris Wymark (formally Aard'vark Software, now in VOTI), Dave
and Sue at the Data File, and anybody else who has ever heard of me.

Hi to all the SoundsRiscy group, especially Ian who managed to get rid of all
the disc errors on my hard drive with a cop of FSCK - Get it now!

Hi to all the people down at Bath/Bristol ie Ray, Rhys and all the other
people who went to the party at Rhys' house and Alex too, cos she didn't.
Also hi to anybody at Old Swinford, especially in Dudley house! (I may as
well mention at least some of you ... Boz, Chris, Ears, Burner, Sham?,
Russell, Ian 'Fezza' Borkwell, Buzz, Ed, Coz, Jon B and the rest of the lower
6th etc). And all the people who frequent my Computer Studies Lessons ie Niv,
Dime, Alex (of Amiga fame), Matt (of Amiga fame), Maz, Stu, Evsey, and two
other people whose names I dare not type for fear of retribution from the
rest of the class.

Hi's to all the people in my year, including Maz (again), Ben, Angus,
Churchy, Mike, Cabbs, Dermot, Lynfel... and every one else too.

And Hi to all the people in my present house, Andrews, Ben, Dave, Mike and
Martin. Hi to all the people at work and Hi to my Mum and Dad. Hi to my
brothers, and hi to my hairdresser who manages to make my hair look crap
everytime she touches it. Humpf, glad I got that little lot off my chest!


Visions of the Impossible
-oOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOo-

VOTI is always looking for people with no programming, music or graphical
skills so we can have a laugh at of them. However, if you can stick a few
LDMIA's together, drum up a decent beat on DSYM, or wield your mouse as
though the very ghost of <some Italian painter> had possesed your body, then
drop us a line at the below address. (Or if you can program, write music, or
draw.)

Owain Cole,                        Chris Wymark,
VOTI,                              VOTI,
Shieling,                          Hinakura,
Fleet Lane,                        Greyfield Road,
Twyning,                           High Littleton,
Gloucestershire.                   Bristol.
GL20 6DG                           BS18 5XX
tel-01684 294325                   tel-01761 470601

If you've got an amazing idea for a game or util that U'd like to see made,
then drop us a line too giving vivid details, and we'll steal your idea! (Ok,
we won't but if it's any good, we'll consider writting it.)

Oh yeah, if you do write, then don't expect a reply too quick 'cos both me an
Chris are slackers and so we need to take time to relax before lifting up the
keyboard again to type out a couple of lines (or at least it appears to take
Chris that long to write anything). If you want any software, or anything to
be returned then send a disc for us to reply on too. Please format it to the
required format first ie ADFS800K or 1.6Mg, and use a suitable label for the
name cos otherwise it'll get lost.


PS: The file called Iffy inside the !SuperFE directory may be of interest to
you. Try running it. Oh yeah, and it's not public domain. It can only be
distributed inside Super Foul Egg.


 Visions of the Imposssible, 1996.